← Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, Volume 6
Chapter 2
F ..-. O —- R .-. Z —..
C -.-. L .-.. Q —.- Y -.—
J .—- P .—. X -..- The Morse code is used chiefly with the electric telegraph, but is also employed in signalling with flags, lights, etc.
MORSEL
Mor"sel, n. Etym: [OF. morsel, F. morceau, LL. morsellus, a dim. fr.
L. morsus a biting, bite, fr. mordere to bite; prob. akin to E.
smart. See Smart, and cf. Morceau, Mordant, Muse, v., Muzzle, n.]
1. A little bite or bit of food. Chaucer. Every morsel to a satisfied hunger is only a new labor to a tired digestion. South.
2. A small quantity; a little piece; a fragment.
MORSING HORN
Mor"sing horn`.
Defn: A horn or flask for holding powder, as for priming. [Scot.] Sir
W. Scott.
MORSITATION
Mor`si*ta"tion, n.
Defn: The act of biting or gnawing. [Obs.]
MORSURE
Mor"sure, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mordere, morsum, to bite.]
Defn: The act of biting. Swift.
MORT
Mort, n. Etym: [Cf. Icel. margt, neut. of margr many.]
Defn: A great quantity or number. [Prov. Eng.]
There was a mort of merrymaking. Dickens.
MORT
Mort, n. Etym: [Etym. uncert.]
Defn: A woman; a female. [Cant]
Male gypsies all, not a mort among them. B. Jonson.
MORT
Mort, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A salmon in its third year. [Prov. Eng.]
MORT
Mort, n. Etym: [F., death, fr. L. mors, mortis.]
1. Death; esp., the death of game in the chase.
2. A note or series of notes sounded on a horn at the death of game. The sportsman then sounded a treble mort. Sir W. Scott.
3. The skin of a sheep or lamb that has died of disease. [Prov. Eng. & Scot.] Mort cloth, the pall spread over a coffin; black cloth indicative or mourning; funeral hangings. Carlyle. — Mort stone, a large stone by the wayside on which the bearers rest a coffin. [Eng.] H. Taylor.
MORTAL Mor"tal, a. Etym: [F. mortel, L. mortalis, from mors, mortis, death, fr. moriri 8die; akin to E. murder. See Murder, and cf. Filemot, Mere a lake, Mortgage.]
1. Subject to death; destined to die; as, man is mortal.
2. Destructive to life; causing or occasioning death; terminating life; exposing to or deserving death; deadly; as, a mortal wound; a mortal sin.
3. Fatally vulnerable; vital. Last of all, against himself he turns his sword, but missing the mortal place, with his poniard finishes the work. Milton.
4. Of or pertaining to the time of death. Safe in the hand of one disposing Power, Or in the natal or the mortal hour. Pope.
5. Affecting as if with power to kill; deathly. The nymph grew pale, and in a mortal fright. Dryden.
6. Human; belonging to man, who is mortal; as, mortal wit or knowledge; mortal power. The voice of God To mortal ear is dreadful. Milton.
7. Very painful or tedious; wearisome; as, a sermon lasting two mortal hours. [Colloq.] Sir W. Scott. Mortal foe, Mortal enemy, an inveterate, desperate, or implacable enemy; a foe bent on one's destruction.
MORTAL
Mor"tal, n.
Defn: A being subject to death; a human being; man. "Warn poor mortals left behind." Tickell.
MORTALITY
Mor*tal"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mortalitas: cf. F. mortalité.]
1. The condition or quality of being mortal; subjection to death or to the necessity of dying. When I saw her die, I then did think on your mortality. Carew.
2. Human life; the life of a mortal being. From this instant There 's nothing serious in mortality. Shak.
3. Those who are, or that which is, mortal; the human cace; humanity; human nature. Take these tears, mortality's relief. Pope.
4. Death; destruction. Shak.
5. The whole sum or number of deaths in a given time or a given community; also, the proportion of deaths to population, or to a specific number of the population; death rate; as, a time of great, or low, mortality; the mortality among the settlers was alarming. Bill of mortality. See under Bill. — Law of mortality, a mathematical relation between the numbers living at different ages, so that from a given large number of persons alive at one age, it can be computed what number are likely to survive a given number of years. — Table of mortality, a table exhibiting the average relative number of persons who survive, or who have died, at the end of each year of life, out of a given number supposed to have been born at the same time.
MORTALIZE
Mor"tal*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortalized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mortalizing.]
Defn: To make mortal. [R.]
MORTALLY
Mor"tal*ly, adv.
1. In a mortal manner; so as to cause death; as, mortally wounded.
2. In the manner of a mortal or of mortal beings. I was mortally brought forth. Shak.
3. In an extreme degree; to the point of dying or causing death; desperately; as, mortally jealous. Adrian mortally envied poets, painters, and artificers, in works wherein he had a vein to excel. Bacon.
MORTALNESS
Mor"tal*ness, n.
Defn: Quality of being mortal; mortality.
MORTAR Mor"tar, n. Etym: [OE. morter, AS. mortere, L. mortarium: cf. F. mortier mortar. Cf. sense 2 (below), also 2d Mortar, Martel, Morter.]
1. A strong vessel, commonly in form of an inverted bell, in which substances are pounded or rubbed with a pestle.
2. Etym: [F. mortier, fr. L. mortarium mortar (for trituarating).] (Mil.)
Defn: A short piece of ordnance, used for throwing bombs, carcasses, shells, etc., at high angles of elevation, as 45º, and even higher; - - so named from its resemblance in shape to the utensil above described. Mortar bed (Mil.), a framework of wood and iron, suitably hollowed out to receive the breech and trunnions of a mortar. — Mortar boat or vessel (Naut.), a boat strongly built and adapted to carrying a mortar or mortars for bombarding; a bomb ketch. — Mortar piece, a mortar. [Obs.] Shak.
MORTAR Mor"tar, n. Etym: [OE. mortier, F. mortier, L. mortarium mortar, a large basin or trough in which mortar is made, a mortar (in sense 1, above). See 1st Mortar.] (Arch.)
Defn: A building material made by mixing lime, cement, or plaster of Paris, with sand, water, and sometimes other materials; — used in masonry for joining stones, bricks, etc., also for plastering, and in other ways. Mortar bed, a shallow box or receptacle in which mortar is mixed. — Mortar board. (a) A small square board with a handle beneath, for holding mortar; a hawk. (b) A cap with a broad, projecting, square top; — worn by students in some colleges. [Slang]
MORTAR
Mor"tar, v. t.
Defn: To plaster or make fast with mortar.
MORTAR
Mor"tar, n. Etym: [F. mortier. See Mortar a vessel.]
Defn: A chamber lamp or light. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MORTGAGE Mort"gage, n. Etym: [F. mort-gage; mort dead (L. mortuus) + gage pledge. See Mortal, and Gage.]
1. (Law)
Defn: A conveyance of property, upon condition, as security for the payment of a debt or the preformance of a duty, and to become void upon payment or performance according to the stipulated terms; also, the written instrument by which the conveyance is made.
Note: It was called a mortgage (or dead pledge) because, whatever profit it might yield, it did not thereby redeem itself, but became lost or dead to the mortgager upon breach of the condition. But in equity a right of redemption is an inseparable incident of a mortgage until the mortgager is debarred by his own laches, or by judicial decree. Cowell. Kent.
2. State of being pledged; as, lands given in mortgage. Chattel
mortgage. See under Chattel.
— To foreclose a mortgage. See under Foreclose.
— Mortgage deed (Law), a deed given by way of mortgage.
MORTGAGE
Mort"gage, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortgaged; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mortgaging.]
1. (Law)
Defn: To grant or convey, as property, for the security of a debt, or other engagement, upon a condition that if the debt or engagement shall be discharged according to the contract, the conveyance shall be void, otherwise to become absolute, subject, however, to the right of redemption.
2. Hence: To pledge, either literally or figuratively; to make subject to a claim or obligation. Mortgaging their lives to covetise. Spenser. I myself an mortgaged to thy will. Shak.
MORTGAGEE
Mort`ga*gee", n. (Law)
Defn: The person to whom property is mortgaged, or to whom a mortgage is made or given.
MORTGAGEOR; MORTGAGOR
Mort"gage*or, Mort"ga*gor, n. (Law)
Defn: One who gives a mortgage.
Note: The letter e is required analogically after the second g in order to soften it; but the spelling mortgagor is in fact the prevailing form. When the word is contradistinguished from mortgagee it is accented on the last syllable (
MORTGAGER
Mort"ga*ger, n. (Law)
Defn: gives a mortgage.
MORTIFEROUS Mor"tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. mortifier; mors, mortis, death + ferre to bring: cf. F. mortifère.]
Defn: Bringing or producing death; deadly; destructive; as, a mortiferous herb. Gov. of Tongue.
MORTIFICATION
Mor`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mortificatio a killing. See
Mortify.]
1. The act of mortifying, or the condition of being mortified; especially: (a) (Med.) The death of one part of an animal body, while the rest continues to live; loss of vitality in some part of a living animal; gangrene. Dunglison. (b) (Alchem. & Old Chem.) Destruction of active qualities; neutralization. [Obs.] Bacon. (c) Subjection of the passions and appetites, by penance, absistence, or painful severities inflicted on the body. The mortification of our lusts has something in it that is troublesome, yet nothing that is unreasonable. Tillotson.
(d) Hence: Deprivation or depression of self-approval; abatement or pride; humiliation; chagrin; vexation. We had the mortification to lose sight of Munich, Augsburg, and Ratisbon. Addison.
2. That which mortifies; the cause of humiliation, chagrin, or vexation. It is one of the vexatious mortifications of a studious man to have his thoughts discovered by a tedious visit. L'Estrange.
3. (Scots Law)
Defn: A gift to some charitable or religious institution; — nearly synonymous with mortmain.
Syn.
— Chagrin; vexation; shame. See Chagrin.
MORTIFIED
Mor"ti*fied, imp. & p. p.
Defn: of Mortify.
MORTIFIEDNESS
Mor"ti*fied*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being mortified; humiliation; subjection of the passions. [R.]
MORTIFIER
Mor"ti*fi`er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mortifies.
MORTIFY
Mor"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortified; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mortifying.] Etym: [OE. mortifien, F. mortifier, fr. L. mortificare;
L. mors, mortis, death + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See Mortal, and
-fy.]
1. To destroy the organic texture and vital functions of; to produce gangrene in.
2. To destroy the active powers or essential qualities of; to change by chemical action. [Obs.] Chaucer. Quicksilver is mortified with turpentine. Bacon. He mortified pearls in vinegar. Hakewill.
3. To deaden by religious or other discipline, as the carnal affections, bodily appetites, or worldly desires; to bring into subjection; to abase; to humble. With fasting mortified, worn out with tears. Harte. Mortify thy learned lust. Prior. Mortify, rherefore, your members which are upon the earth. Col. iii. 5.
4. To affect with vexation, chagrin, or humiliation; to humble; to depress. The news of the fatal battle of Worcester, which exceedingly mortified our expectations. Evelyn. How often is the ambitious man mortified with the very praises he receives, if they do not rise so high as he thinks they ought! Addison.
MORTIFY
Mor"ti*fy, v. i.
1. To lose vitality and organic structure, as flesh of a living body; to gangrene.
2. To practice penance from religious motives; to deaden desires by religious discipline. This makes him … give alms of all that he hath, watch, fast, and mortify. Law.
3. To be subdued; to decay, as appetites, desires, etc.
MORTIFYING
Mor"ti*fy`ing, a.
1. Tending to mortify; affected by, or having symptoms of, mortification; as, a mortifying wound; mortifying flesh.
2. Subduing the appetites, desires, etc.; as, mortifying penances.
3. Tending to humble or abase; humiliating; as, a mortifying repulse.
MORTIFYINGLY
Mor"ti*fy`ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mortifying manner.
MORTISE Mor"tise, n. Etym: [F. mortaise; cf. Sp. mortaja, Ar. murtazz fixed, or W. mortais, Ir. mortis, moirtis, Gael. moirteis.]
Defn: A cavity cut into a piece of timber, or other material, to receive something (as the end of another piece) made to fit it, and called a tenon. Mortise and tenon (Carp.), made with a mortise and tenon; joined or united by means of a mortise and tenon; — used adjectively. — Mortise joint, a joint made by a mortise and tenon. — Mortise lock. See under Lock. — Mortise wheel, a cast-iron wheel, with wooden clogs inserted in mortises on its face or edge; — also called mortise gear, and core gear.
MORTISE
Mor"tise, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mortised; p. pr. & vb. n. Mortising.]
1. To cut or make a mortisein.
2. To join or fasten by a tenon and mortise; as, to mortise a beam into a post, or a joist into a girder.
MORTLING
Mort"ling, n. Etym: [See Morling.]
1. An animal, as a sheep, dead of disease or privation; a mortling. [Eng.]
2. Wool plucked from a dead sheep; morling.
MORTMAIN Mort"main`, n. Etym: [F. mort, morte, dead + main hand; F. main- morte. See Mortal, and Manual.] (Law)
Defn: Possession of lands or tenements in, or conveyance to, dead hands, or hands that cannot alienate.
Note: The term was originally applied to conveyance of land made to ecclesiastical bodies; afterward to conveyance made to any corporate body. Burrill.
MORTMAL
Mort"mal, n.
Defn: See Mormal. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MORTPAY
Mort"pay`, n. Etym: [F. mort dead + E. pay.]
Defn: Dead pay; the crime of taking pay for the service of dead soldiers, or for services not actually rendered by soldiers. [Obs.] Bacon.
MORTRESS; MORTREW
Mor"tress, Mor"trew, n. Etym: [See Mortar.]
Defn: A dish of meats and other ingredients, cooked together; an ollapodrida. Chaucer. Bacon.
MORTUARY Mor"tu*a*ry, n.; pl. Mortuaries. Etym: [LL. mortuarium. See Mortuary, a.]
1. A sort of ecclesiastical heriot, a customary gift claimed by, and due to, the minister of a parish on the death of a parishioner. It seems to have been originally a voluntary bequest or donation, intended to make amends for any failure in the payment of tithes of which the deceased had been guilty.
2. A burial place; a place for the dead.
3. A place for the reception of the dead before burial; a deadhouse; a morgue.
MORTUARY Mor"tu*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. mortuarius, fr. mortuus dead: cf. F. mortuaire. See Mortal.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the dead; as, mortuary monuments. Mortuary urn, an urn for holding the ashes of the dead.
MORULA
Mor"u*la, n.; pl. Morulæ. Etym: [NL., dim. of L. morum a mulberry.]
(Biol.)
Defn: The sphere or globular mass of cells (blastomeres), formed by the clevage of the ovum or egg in the first stages of its development; — called also mulberry mass, segmentation sphere, and blastosphere. See Segmentation.
MORULATION
Mor`u*la"tion, n. (Biol.)
Defn: The process of cleavage, or segmentation, of the ovum, by which a morula is formed.
MORUS
Mo"rus, n. Etym: [L., mulberry tree. See Mulberry.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of trees, some species of which produce edible fruit; the mulberry. See Mulberry.
Note: Morus alba is the white mulberry, a native of India or China, the leaves of which are extensively used for feeding silkworms, for which it furnishes the chief food. — Morus multicaulis, the many-stemmed or Chinese mulberry, is only a form of white mulberry, preferred on account of its more abundant leaves. — Morus nigra, the black mulberry, produces a dark-colored fruit, of an agreeable flavor.
MORWE
Mor"we, n.
Defn: See Morrow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MORWENING
Mor"wen*ing, n.
Defn: Morning. [Obs.]
MOS
Mos, n.,
Defn: sing. of Mores.
MOSAIC Mo*sa"ic, n. Etym: [F. mosaïque; cf. Pr. mozaic, musec, Sp. & Pg. mosaico, It. mosaico, musaico, LGr. musivum; all fr. Gr. Muse the goddess.]
1. (Fine Arts)
Defn: A surface decoration made by inlaying in patterns small pieces of variously colored glass, stone, or other material; — called also mosaic work.
2. A picture or design made in mosaic; an article decorated in mosaic.
MOSAIC
Mo*sa"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the style of work called mosaic; formed by uniting pieces of different colors; variegated; tessellated; also, composed of various materials or ingredients. A very beautiful mosaic pavement. Addison. Florentine mosaic. See under Florentine. — Mosaic gold. (a) See Ormolu. — (b) Stannic sulphide, SnS2, obtained as a yellow scaly crystalline powder, and used as a pigment in bronzing and gilding wood and metal work. It was called by the alchemists aurum musivum, or aurum mosaicum. Called also bronze powder. — Mosaic work. See Mosaic, n.
MOSAIC
Mo*sa"ic, a. Etym: [From Moses.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to Moses, the leader of the Israelites, or established through his agency; as, the Mosaic law, rites, or institutions.
MOSAICAL
Mo*sa"ic*al, a.
Defn: Mosaic (in either sense). "A mosaical floor." Sir P. Sidney.
MOSAICALLY
Mo*sa"ic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of a mosaic.
MOSAISM
Mo"sa*ism, n.
Defn: Attachment to the system or doctrines of Moses; that which is peculiar to the Mosaic system or doctrines.
MOSASAUR; MOSASAURIAN
Mos"a*saur, Mos`a*sau"ri*an, n. (Paleon.)
Defn: One of an extinct order of reptiles, including Mosasaurus and allied genera. See Mosasauria.
MOSASAURIA
Mos`a*sau"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Mosasaurus.] (Paleon.)
Defn: An order of large, extinct, marine reptiles, found in the Cretaceous rocks, especially in America. They were serpentlike in form and in having loosely articulated and dilatable jaws, with large recurved tteth, but they had paddlelike feet. Some of them were over fifty feet long. They are, essentially, fossil sea serpents with paddles. Called also Pythonomarpha, and Mosasauria.
MOSASAURUS
Mos`a*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL., fr. L. Mosa the River Meuse (on which
Meastricht is situated) + Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: A genus of extinct marine reptiles allied to the lizards, but having the body much elongated, and the limbs in the form of paddles. The first known species, nearly fifty feet in length, was discovered in Cretaceous beds near Maestricht, in the Netherlands. [Written also Mososaurus.]
MOSCHATEL
Mos"cha*tel`, n. Etym: [Gr. moscatelline. See Muscadel, Musk.] (Bot.)
Defn: A plant of the genus Adoxa (A. moschatellina), the flowers of which are pale green, and have a faint musky smell. It is found in woods in all parts of Europe, and is called also hollow root and musk crowfoot. Loudon.
MOSCHINE
Mos"chine, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Moschus, a genus including the musk deer.
MOSEL
Mos"el, n. & v.
Defn: See Muzzle. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOSELLE
Mo*selle", n.
Defn: A light wine, usually white, produced in the vicinity of the river Moselle.
MOSES
Mo"ses, n.
Defn: A large flatboat, used in the West Indies for taking freight from shore to ship.
MOSEY
Mo"sey, v. i. [Perh. fr. Vamose.]
Defn: To go, or move (in a certain manner); — usually with out, off, along, etc. [Colloq.] E. N. Wescott.
MOSK
Mosk, n.
Defn: See Mosque.
MOSLEM Mos"lem, n.; pl. Moslems, or collectively Moslem. Etym: [Ar. muslim a true believer in the Mohammedan faith, fr. salama to submit to God, to resign one's self to the divine will. Cf. Islam, Mussulman.]
Defn: A Mussulman; an orthodox Mohammedan. [Written also muslim.]
"Heaps of slaughtered Moslem." Macaulay.
They piled the ground with Moslem slain. Halleck.
MOSLEM
Mos"lem, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Mohammedans; Mohammedan; as, Moslem lands; the Moslem faith.
MOSLINGS
Mos"lings, n. pl.
Defn: Thin shreds of leather shaved off in dressing skins. Simmonds.
MOSOSAURUS
Mos`o*sau"rus, n. Etym: [NL.] (Paleon.)
Defn: Same as Mosasaurus.
MOSQUE Mosque, n. Etym: [F. mosquée, Sp. mezquita, Ar. masjid, from sajada to bend, adore.]
Defn: A Mohammedan church or place of religious worship. [Written also mosk.]
MOSQUITO Mos*qui"to, n.; pl. Mosquitoes. Etym: [Sp. mosquito, fr. moscafly, L. musca. Cf. Musket.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of various species of gnats of the genus Culex and allied genera. The females have a proboscis containing, within the sheathlike labium, six fine, sharp, needlelike organs with which they puncture the skin of man and animals to suck the blood. These bites, when numerous, cause, in many persons, considerable irritation and swelling, with some pain. The larvæ and pupæ, called wigglers, are aquatic. [Written also musquito.] Mosquito bar, Mosquito net, a net or curtain for excluding mosquitoes, — used for beds and windows. — Mosquito fleet, a fleet of small vessels. — Mosquito hawk (Zoöl.), a dragon fly; — so called because it captures and feeds upon mosquitoes. — Mosquito netting, a loosely-woven gauzelike fabric for making mosquito bars.
MOSS
Moss, n. Etym: [OE. mos; akin to AS. meós, D. mos, G. moos, OHG. mos,
mios, Icel. mosi, Dan. mos, Sw. mossa, Russ. mokh', L. muscus. Cf.
Muscoid.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A cryptogamous plant of a cellular structure, with distinct stem and simple leaves. The fruit is a small capsule usually opening by an apical lid, and so discharging the spores. There are many species, collectively termed Musci, growing on the earth, on rocks, and trunks of trees, etc., and a few in running water.
Note: The term moss is also popularly applied to many other small cryptogamic plants, particularly lichens, species of which are called tree moss, rock moss, coral moss, etc. Fir moss and club moss are of the genus Lycopodium. See Club moss, under Club, and Lycopodium.
2. A bog; a morass; a place containing peat; as, the mosses of the Scottish border.
Note: Moss is used with participles in the composition of words which
need no special explanation; as, moss-capped, moss-clad, moss-
covered, moss-grown, etc. Black moss. See under Black, and
Tillandsia.
— Bog moss. See Sphagnum.
— Feather moss, any moss branched in a feathery manner, esp.
several species of the genus Hypnum.
— Florida moss, Long moss, or Spanish moss. See Tillandsia.
— Iceland moss, a lichen. See Iceland Moss.
— Irish moss, a seaweed. See Carrageen.
— Moss agate (Min.), a variety of agate, containing brown, black,
or green mosslike or dendritic markings, due in part to oxide of
manganese. Called also Mocha stone.
— Moss animal (Zoöl.), a bryozoan.
— Moss berry (Bot.), the small cranberry (Vaccinium Oxycoccus).
— Moss campion (Bot.), a kind of mosslike catchfly (Silene
acaulis), with mostly purplish flowers, found on the highest
mountains of Europe and America, and within the Arctic circle.
— Moss land, land produced accumulation of aquatic plants, forming
peat bogs of more or less consistency, as the water is grained off or
retained in its pores.
— Moss pink (Bot.), a plant of the genus Phlox (P. subulata),
growing in patches on dry rocky hills in the Middle United States,
and often cultivated for its handsome flowers. Gray.
— Moss rose (Bot.), a variety of rose having a mosslike growth on
the stalk and calyx. It is said to be derived from the Provence rose.
— Moss rush (Bot.), a rush of the genus Juncus (J. squarrosus).
— Scale moss. See Hepatica.
MOSS
Moss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mossed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mossing.]
Defn: To cover or overgrow with moss.
An oak whose boughs were mossed with age. Shak.
MOSSBACK
Moss"back`, n.
Defn: A veteran partisan; one who is so conservative in opinion that he may be likened to a stone or old tree covered with moss. [Political Slang, U.S.]
MOSSBANKER; MOSSBUNKER
Moss"bank`er, Moss"bunk`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The menhaded.
MOSS-GROWN
Moss"-grown`, a.
Defn: Overgrown with moss.
MOSSINESS
Moss"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being mossy.
MOSSTROOPER
Moss"troop`er, n. Etym: [Moss + trooper.]
Defn: One of a class of marauders or bandits that formerly infested the border country between England and Scotland; — so called in allusion to the mossy or boggy character of much of the border country.
MOSSY
Moss"y, a. [Compar. Mossier; superl. Mossiest.]
1. Overgrown with moss; abounding with or edged with moss; as, mossy trees; mossy streams. Old trees are more mossy far than young. Bacon.
2. Resembling moss; as, mossy green.
MOST Most, a., superl. of More. Etym: [OE. most, mast, mest, AS. m; akin to D. meest, OS. mest, G. meist, Icel. mestr, Goth. maists; a superl. corresponding to E. more. *103. See More, a.]
1. Consisting of the greatest number or quantity; greater in number or quantity than all the rest; nearly all. "Most men will proclaim every one his own goodness." Prov. xx. 6. The cities wherein most of his mighty works were done. Matt. xi. 20.
2. Greatest in degree; as, he has the most need of it. "In the moste pride." Chaucer.
3. Highest in rank; greatest. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Note: Most is used as a noun, the words part, portion, quantity, etc., being omitted, and has the following meanings: 1. The greatest value, number, or part; preponderating portion; highest or chief part. 2. The utmost; greatest possible amount, degree, or result; especially in the phrases to make the most of, at the most, at most. A quarter of a year or some months at the most. Bacon. A covetous man makes the most of what he has. L'Estrange. For the most part, in reference to the larger part of a thing, or to the majority of the persons, instances, or things referred to; as, human beings, for the most part, are superstitious; the view, for the most part, was pleasing. — Most an end, generally. See An end, under End, n. [Obs.] "She sleeps most an end." Massinger.
MOST
Most, adv. Etym: [AS. mæst. See Most, a.]
Defn: In the greatest or highest degree. Those nearest to this king, and most his favorites, were courtiers and prelates. Milton.
Note: Placed before an adjective or adverb, most is used to form the superlative degree, being equivalent to the termination -est; as, most vile, most wicked; most illustrious; most rapidly. Formerly, and until after the Elizabethan period of our literature, the use of the double superlative was common. See More, adv. The most unkindest cut of all. Shak. The most straitest sect of our religion. Acts xxvi. 5.
MOSTAHIBA
Mos`ta*hi"ba, n.
Defn: See Mustaiba.
MOSTE
Mos"te, obs.imp.
Defn: of Mote. Chaucer.
MOSTIC; MOSTICK
Mos"tic, Mos"tick, n. Etym: [See Maul-stick.]
Defn: A painter's maul-stick.
MOSTLY
Most"ly, adv.
Defn: For the greatest part; for the most part; chiefly; in the main.
MOSTRA
Mos"tra, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: See Direct, n.
MOSTWHAT
Most"what`, adv.
Defn: For the most part. [Obs.] "All the rest do mostwhat far amiss."
Spenser.
MOT Mot, v. [Sing. pres. ind. Mot, Mote, Moot (, pl. Mot, Mote, Moote, pres. subj. Mote; imp. Moste.] Etym: [See Must, v.] [Obs.]
Defn: May; must; might.
He moot as well say one word as another Chaucer.
The wordes mote be cousin to the deed. Chaucer.
Men moot [i.e., one only] give silver to the poore freres. Chaucer.
So mote it be, so be it; amen; — a phrase in some rituals, as that
of the Freemasons.
MOT
Mot, n. Etym: [F. See Motto.]
1. A word; hence, a motto; a device. [Obs.] Bp. Hall. Tarquin's eye may read the mot afar. Shak.
2. A pithy or witty saying; a witticism. [A Gallicism] Here and there turns up a … savage mot. N. Brit. Rev.
3. A note or brief strain on a bugle. Sir W. Scott.
MOTACIL
Mot"a*cil, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motacille.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any singing bird of the genus Motacilla; a wagtail.
MOTATION
Mo*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. motare, motatum, to keep moving.]
Defn: The act of moving; motion. [Obs.]
MOTE
Mote, v.
Defn: See 1st Mot. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOTE Mote, n. Etym: [See Moot, a meeting.] [Obs., except in a few combinations or phrases.]
1. A meeting of persons for discussion; as, a wardmote in the city of London.
2. A body of persons who meet for discussion, esp. about the management of affairs; as, a folkmote.
3. A place of meeting for discussion. Mote bell, the bell rung to summon to a mote. [Obs.]
MOTE
Mote, n.
Defn: The flourish sounded on a horn by a huntsman. See Mot, n., 3, and Mort. Chaucer.
MOTE
Mote, n. Etym: [OE. mot, AS. mot.]
Defn: A small particle, as of floating dust; anything proverbially
small; a speck.
The little motes in the sun do ever stir, though there be no wind.
Bacon.
We are motes in the midst of generations. Landor.
MOTED
Mot"ed, a.
Defn: Filled with motes, or fine floating dust; as, the air. "Moted sunbeams." Tennyson.
MOTET Mo*tet", n. Etym: [F., a dim. of mot word; cf. It. mottetto, dim. of motto word, device. See Mot, Motto.] (Mus.)
Defn: A composition adapted to sacred words in the elaborate polyphonic church style; an anthem.
MOTH
Moth (môth), n.
Defn: A mote. [Obs.] Shak.
MOTH
Moth, n.; pl. Moths (môthz). Etym: [OE. mothe, AS. moedhedhe; akin to
D. mot, G. motte, Icel. motti, and prob. to E. mad an earthworm. Cf.
Mad, n., Mawk.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any nocturnal lepidopterous insect, or any not included among the butterflies; as, the luna moth; Io moth; hawk moth.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any lepidopterous insect that feeds upon garments, grain, etc.; as, the clothes moth; grain moth; bee moth. See these terms under Clothes, Grain, etc.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of various other insects that destroy woolen and fur goods, etc., esp. the larvæ of several species of beetles of the genera Dermestes and Anthrenus. Carpet moths are often the larvæ of Anthrenus. See Carpet beetle, under Carpet, Dermestes, Anthrenus.
4. Anything which gradually and silently eats, consumes, or wastes
any other thing. Moth blight (Zoöl.), any plant louse of the genus
Aleurodes, and related genera. They are injurious to various plants.
— Moth gnat (Zoöl.), a dipterous insect of the genus Bychoda,
having fringed wings.
— Moth hunter (Zoöl.), the goatsucker.
— Moth miller (Zoöl.), a clothes moth. See Miller, 3, (a).
— Moth mullein (Bot.), a common herb of the genus Verbascum (V.
Blattaria), having large wheel-shaped yellow or whitish flowers.
MOTH-EAT
Moth"-eat`, v. t.
Defn: To eat or prey upon, as a moth eats a garment. [Rarely used except in the form moth-eaten, p.p. or a.] Ruin and neglect have so moth-eaten her. Sir T. Herbert.
MOTHEN
Moth"en, a.
Defn: Full of moths. [Obs.] Fulke.
MOTHER
Moth"er, n. Etym: [OE. moder, AS. modor; akin to D. moeder, OS.
modar, G. mutter, OHG. muotar, Icel. moedhir, Dan. & Sw. moder,
OSlav. mati, Russ. mate, Ir. & Gael. mathair, L. mater, Gr. mh`thr,
Skr. matrs; cf. Skr. ma to measure. *268. Cf. Material, Matrix,
Metropolis, Father.]
1. A female parent; especially, one of the human race; a woman who has borne a child.
2. That which has produced or nurtured anything; source of birth or origin; generatrix. Alas! poor country! … it can not Be called our mother, but our grave. Shak. I behold … the solitary majesty of Crete, mother of a religion, it is said, that lived two thousand years. Landor.
3. An old woman or matron. [Familiar]
4. The female superior or head of a religious house, as an abbess, etc.
5. Hysterical passion; hysteria. [Obs.] Shak. Mother Carey's chicken (Zoöl.), any one of several species of small petrels, as the stormy petrel (Procellaria pelagica), and Leach's petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa), both of the Atlantic, and O. furcata of the North Pacific. — Mother Carey's goose (Zoöl.), the giant fulmar of the Pacific. See Fulmar. — Mother's mark (Med.), a congenital mark upon the body; a nævus.
MOTHER
Moth"er, a.
Defn: Received by birth or from ancestors; native, natural; as, mother language; also acting the part, or having the place of a mother; producing others; originating. It is the mother falsehood from which all idolatry is derived. T. Arnold. Mother cell (Biol.), a cell which, by endogenous divisions, gives rise to other cells (daughter cells); a parent cell. — Mother church, the original church; a church from which other churches have sprung; as, the mother church of a diocese. — Mother country, the country of one's parents or ancestors; the country from which the people of a colony derive their origin. — Mother liquor (Chem.), the impure or complex residual solution which remains after the salts readily or regularly crystallizing have been removed. — Mother queen, the mother of a reigning sovereign; a queen mother. — Mother tongue. (a) A language from which another language has had its origin. (b) The language of one's native land; native tongue. — Mother water. See Mother liquor (above). — Mother wit, natural or native wit or intelligence.
MOTHER
Moth"er, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mothered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mothering.]
Defn: To adopt as a son or daughter; to perform the duties of a
mother to.
The queen, to have put lady Elizabeth besides the crown, would have
mothered another body's child. Howell.
MOTHER Moth"er, n. Etym: [Akin to D. modder mud, G. moder mold, mud, Dan. mudder mud, and to E. mud. See Mud.]
Defn: A film or membrane which is developed on the surface of fermented alcoholic liquids, such as vinegar, wine, etc., and acts as a means of conveying the oxygen of the air to the alcohol and other combustible principles of the liquid, thus leading to their oxidation.
Note: The film is composed of a mass of rapidly developing microörganisms of the genus Mycoderma, and in the mother of vinegar the microörganisms (Mycoderma aceti) composing the film are the active agents in the Conversion of the alcohol into vinegar. When thickened by growth, the film may settle to the bottom of the fluid. See Acetous fermentation, under Fermentation.
MOTHER
Moth"er, v. i.
Defn: To become like, or full of, mother, or thick matter, as vinegar.
MOTHERED
Moth"ered, a.
Defn: Thick, like mother; viscid.
They oint their naked limbs with mothered oil. Dryden.
MOTHERHOOD
Moth"er*hood, n.
Defn: The state of being a mother; the character or office of a mother.
MOTHERING
Moth"er*ing, n.
Defn: A rural custom in England, of visiting one's parents on Midlent Sunday, — supposed to have been originally visiting the mother church to make offerings at the high altar.
MOTHER-IN-LAW
Moth"er-in-law`, n.
Defn: The mother of one's husband or wife.
MOTHERLAND
Moth"er*land`, n.
Defn: The country of one's ancestors; — same as fatherland.
MOTHERLESS
Moth"er*less, a. Etym: [AS. modorleás.]
Defn: Destitute of a mother; having lost a mother; as, motherless children.
MOTHERLINESS
Moth"er*li*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being motherly.
MOTHERLY
Moth"er*ly, a. Etym: [AS. modorlic.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to a mother; like, or suitable for, a mother; tender; maternal; as, motherly authority, love, or care. Hooker.
Syn. — Maternal; paternal. — Motherly, Maternal. Motherly, being Anglo-Saxon, is the most familiar word of the two when both have the same meaning. Besides this, maternal is confined to the feelings of a mother toward her own children, whereas motherly has a secondary sense, denoting a care like that of a mother for her offspring. There is, perhaps, a growing tendency thus to separate the two, confining motherly to the latter signification. "They termed her the great mother, for her motherly care in cherishing her brethren whilst young." Sir W. Raleigh.
MOTHERLY
Moth"er*ly, adv.
Defn: In a manner of a mother.
MOTHER-NAKED
Moth"er-na`ked, a.
Defn: Naked as when born.
MOTHER-OF-PEARL
Moth"er-of-pearl`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The hard pearly internal layer of several kinds of shells, esp. of pearl oysters, river mussels, and the abalone shells; nacre. See Pearl.
MOTHER-OF-THYME
Moth"er-of-thyme`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: An aromatic plant (Thymus Serphyllum); — called also wild thyme.
MOTHER'S DAY
Moth"er's Day.
Defn: A day appointed for the honor and uplift of motherhood by the loving remembrance of each person of his mother through the performance of some act of kindness, visit, tribute, or letter. The founder of the day is Anna Jarvis, of Philadelphia, who designated the second Sunday in May, or for schools the second Friday, as the time, and a white carnation as the badge.
MOTHERWORT Moth"er*wort`, n. (Bot.) (a) A labiate herb (Leonurus Cardiaca), of a bitter taste, used popularly in medicine; lion's tail. (b) The mugwort. See Mugwort.
MOTHERY
Moth"er*y, a.
Defn: Consisting of, containing, or resembling, mother (in vinegar).
MOTHY
Moth"y, a.
Defn: Infested with moths; moth-eaten. "An old mothy saddle." Shak.
MOTIF
Mo"tif, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Motive.
MOTIFIC Mo*tif"ic, a. Etym: [L. motus motion (fr. movere to move) + facere to make.]
Defn: Producing motion. [R.]
MOTILE
Mo"tile, a. Etym: [See Motive.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Having powers of self-motion, though unconscious; as, the motile spores of certain seaweeds.
2. Producing motion; as, motile powers.
MOTILITY
Mo*til"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motilité.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Capability of motion; contractility.
MOTION
Mo"tion, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. motio, fr. movere, motum, to move. See
Move.]
1. The act, process, or state of changing place or position; movement; the passing of a body from one place or position to another, whether voluntary or involuntary; — opposed to rest. Speaking or mute, all comeliness and grace attends thee, and each word, each motion, forms. Milton.
2. Power of, or capacity for, motion. Devoid of sense and motion. Milton.
3. Direction of movement; course; tendency; as, the motion of the planets is from west to east. In our proper motion we ascend. Milton.
4. Change in the relative position of the parts of anything; action of a machine with respect to the relative movement of its parts. This is the great wheel to which the clock owes its motion. Dr. H. More.
5. Movement of the mind, desires, or passions; mental act, or impulse to any action; internal activity. Let a good man obey every good motion rising in his heart, knowing that every such motion proceeds from God. South.
6. A proposal or suggestion looking to action or progress; esp., a formal proposal made in a deliberative assembly; as, a motion to adjourn. Yes, I agree, and thank you for your motion. Shak.
7. (Law)
Defn: An application made to a court or judge orally in open court. Its object is to obtain an order or rule directing some act to be done in favor of the applicant. Mozley & W.
8. (Mus.)
Defn: Change of pitch in successive sounds, whether in the same part
or in groups of parts.
The independent motions of different parts sounding together
constitute counterpoint. Grove.
Note: Conjunct motion is that by single degrees of the scale. Contrary motion is that when parts move in opposite directions. Disjunct motion is motion by skips. Oblique motion is that when one part is stationary while another moves. Similar or direct motion is that when parts move in the same direction.
9. A puppet show or puppet. [Obs.] What motion's this the model of Nineveh Beau. & Fl.
Note: Motion, in mechanics, may be simple or compound. Simple motions are: (a) straight translation, which, if of indefinite duration, must be reciprocating. (b) Simple rotation, which may be either continuous or reciprocating, and when reciprocating is called oscillating. (c) Helical, which, if of indefinite duration, must be reciprocating. Compound motion consists of combinations of any of the simple motions. Center of motion, Harmonic motion, etc. See under Center, Harmonic, etc. — Motion block (Steam Engine), a crosshead. — Perpetual motion (Mech.), an incessant motion conceived to be attainable by a machine supplying its own motive forces independently of any action from without.
Syn.
— See Movement.
MOTION
Mo"tion, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Motioned; p. pr. & vb. n. Motioning.]
1. To make a significant movement or gesture, as with the hand; as, to motion to one to take a seat.
2. To make proposal; to offer plans. [Obs.] Shak.
MOTION
Mo"tion, v. t.
1. To direct or invite by a motion, as of the hand or head; as, to motion one to a seat.
2. To propose; to move. [Obs.] I want friends to motion such a matter. Burton.
MOTIONER
Mo"tion*er, n.
Defn: One who makes a motion; a mover. Udall.
MOTIONIST
Mo"tion*ist, n.
Defn: A mover. [Obs.]
MOTIONLESS
Mo"tion*less, a.
Defn: Without motion; being at rest.
MOTION PICTURE
Mo"tion pic"ture.
Defn: A moving picture.
MOTIVATE
Mo"ti*vate, v. t. [imp. & p. p. -vated; p. pr. & vb. n. -vating.]
[From Motive, n.]
Defn: To provide with a motive; to move; impel; induce; incite. —
Mo`ti*va"tion (#), n. William James.
MOTIVE Mo"tive, n. Etym: [F. motif, LL. motivum, from motivus moving, fr. L. movere, motum, to move. See Move.]
1. That which moves; a mover. [Obs.] Shak.
2. That which incites to action; anything prompting or exciting to choise, or moving the will; cause; reason; inducement; object. By motive, I mean the whole of that which moves, excites, or invites the mind to volition, whether that be one thing singly, or many things conjunctively. J. Edwards.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: The theme or subject; a leading phrase or passage which is reproduced and varied through the course of a comor a movement; a short figure, or melodic germ, out of which a whole movement is develpoed. See also Leading motive, under Leading. [Written also motivo.]
4. (Fine Arts)
Defn: That which produces conception, invention, or creation in the mind of the artist in undertaking his subject; the guiding or controlling idea manifested in a work of art, or any part of one.
Syn. — Incentive; incitement; inducement; reason; spur; stimulus; cause. — Motive, Inducement, Reason. Motive is the word originally used in speaking of that which determines the choice. We call it an inducement when it is attractive in its nature. We call it a reason when it is more immediately addressed to the intellect in the form of argument.
MOTIVE
Mo"tive, a.
Defn: Causing motion; having power to move, or tending to move; as, a motive argument; motive power. "Motive faculty." Bp. Wilkins. Motive power (Mach.), a natural agent, as water, steam, wind, electricity, etc., used to impart motion to machinery; a motor; a mover.
MOTIVE
Mo"tive, v. t.
Defn: To prompt or incite by a motive or motives; to move.
MOTIVELESS
Mo"tive*less, a.
Defn: Destitute of a motive; not incited by a motive.
— Mo"tive*less*ness, n. G. Eliot.
MOTIVITY
Mo*tiv"i*ty, n. Etym: [See Motive, n.]
1. The power of moving or producing motion.
2. The quality of being influenced by motives. [R.]
MOTIVO
Mo*ti"vo, n. Etym: [It. See Motive, n.]
Defn: See Motive, n., 3, 4.
MOTLEY
Mot"ley, a. Etym: [OE. mottelee, motle; cf. OF. mattelé clotted,
curdled, OF, ciel mattonné a mottled sky, mate, maton, curdled milk,
Prov. G. matte curd. Cf. Mottle.]
1. Variegated in color; consisting of different colors; dappled; party-colored; as, a motley coat.
2. Wearing motley or party-colored clothing. See Motley, n., 1. "A motley fool." Shak.
3. Composed of different or various parts; heterogeneously made or mixed up; discordantly composite; as, motley style. Byron.
MOTLEY
Mot"ley, n.
1. A combination of distinct colors; esp., the party-colored cloth, or clothing, worn by the professional fool. Chaucer. "Motley 's the only wear." Shak.
2. Hence, a jester, a fool. [Obs.] Shak. Man of motley, a fool. [Obs.] Beau. & Fl.
MOTLEY-MINDED
Mot"ley-mind`ed, a.
Defn: Having a mind of a jester; foolish. Shak.
MOTMOT
Mot"mot, n. Etym: [Cf. Momot.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of long-tailed, passerine birds of the genus Momotus, having a strong serrated beak. In most of the species the two long middle tail feathers are racket-shaped at the tip, when mature. The bird itself is said by some writers to trim them into this shape. They feed on insects, reptiles, and fruit, and are found from Mexico to Brazil. The name is derived from its note. [Written also momot.]
MOTO
Mo"to, n. Etym: [It.] (Mus.)
Defn: Movement; manner of movement; particularly, movement with increased rapidity; — used especially in the phrase con moto, directing to a somewhat quicker movement; as, andante con moto, a little more rapidly than andante, etc.
MOTOGRAPH
Mo"to*graph, n. [L. movere, motum, to move + -graph.] (Elec.)
Defn: A device utilized in the making of a loud-speaking telephone, depending on the fact that the friction between a metallic point and a moving cylinder of moistened chalk, or a moving slip of paper, on which it rests is diminished by the passage of a current between the point and the moving surface. — Mo`to*graph"ic (#), a.
MOTON
Mo"ton, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.] (Anc. Armor)
Defn: A small plate covering the armpit in armor of the 14th century and later.
MOTOR
Mo"tor, n. Etym: [L., fr. movere, motum, to move.]
1. One who, or that which, imparts motion; a source of mechanical power.
2. (Mach.)
Defn: A prime mover; a machine by means of which a source of power, as steam, moving water, electricity, etc., is made available for doing mechanical work.
MOTOR; MOTORY; MOTORIAL
Mo"tor, Mo"to*ry, Mo*to"ri*al, a. Etym: [L. motorius that has motion.
See Motor, n.]
Defn: Causing or setting up motion; pertaining to organs of motion; - - applied especially in physiology to those nerves or nerve fibers which only convey impressions from a nerve center to muscles, thereby causing motion.
MOTOR CAR; MOTORCAR
Motor car, or Mo"tor*car`, n.
1. An automobile, locomobile, or locomotive designed to run and be steered on a street or roadway; esp., an automobile specially designed for passengers.
2. (Elec. Railroads) Any car containing motors for propulsion. [U. S.]
MOTOR CYCLE; MOTORCYCLE
Motor cycle, or Mo"tor*cy`cle, n.
Defn: A bicycle having a motor attached so as to be self-propelled. In Great Britain the term motor cycle is treated by statute (3 Ed VII. c. 36) as limited to motor cars (self-propelled vehicles) designed to travel on not more than three wheels, and weighing unladen (that is, without water, fuel, or accumulators necessary for propulsion) not more than three hundred weight (336 lbs.).
MOTOR-DRIVEN
Mo`tor-driv`en, a. (Mach.)
Defn: Driven or actuated by a motor, esp. by an individual electric motor. An electric motor forms an integral part of many machine tools in numerous modern machine shops.
MOTOR GENERATOR
Motor generator.
Defn: The combination consisting of a generator and a driving motor mechanically connected, usually on a common bedplate and with the two shafts directly coupled or combined into a single shaft.
MOTORING
Mo"tor*ing, n.
Defn: Act or recreation of riding in or driving a motor car or automobile.
MOTORING
Mo"tor*ing, a.
Defn: Pertaining to motor cars or automobiles, or to the technology of such; addicted to riding in or driving automobiles; as, motoring parlance; my motoring friend.
MOTORIZE
Mo"tor*ize (mo"ter*iz), v. t. [Motor + -ize.]
Defn: To substitute motor-driven vehicles, or automobiles, for the horses and horse-drawn vehicles of (a fire department, city, etc.). - -Mo`tor*i*za"tion (#), n.
MOTORMAN
Mo"tor*man, n.
Defn: A man who controls a motor.
MOTORPATHIC
Mo`tor*path"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to motorpathy.
MOTORPATHY
Mo*tor"pa*thy, n. Etym: [L. motor a mover + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Kinesiatrics.
MOTTE
Motte, n. Etym: [Cf. F. motte a clod, clump, or hillock.]
Defn: A clump of trees in a prairie. [Local, U.S.]
MOTTLE
Mot"tle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mottled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mottling.]
Etym: [From Mottled.]
Defn: To mark with spots of different color, or shades of color, as if stained; to spot; to maculate.
MOTTLE
Mot"tle, n.
Defn: A mottled appearance.
MOTTLED
Mot"tled, a. Etym: [From Motley.]
Defn: Marked with spots of different colors; variegated; spotted; as, mottled wood. "The mottled meadows." Drayton.
MOTTO Mot"to, n.; pl. Mottoes. Etym: [It. motto a word, a saying, L. muttum a mutter, a grunt, cf. muttire, mutire, to mutter, mumble; prob. of imitative origin. Cf. Mot a word.]
1. (Her.)
Defn: A sentence, phrase, or word, forming part of an heraldic achievment.
2. A sentence, phrase, or word, prefixed to an essay, discourse, chapter, canto, or the like, suggestive of its subject matter; a short, suggestive expression of a guiding principle; a maxim. It was the motto of a bishop eminent for his piety and good works, … "Serve God, and be cheerful." Addison.
MOTTOED
Mot"toed, a.
Defn: Bearing or having a motto; as, a mottoed coat or device.
MOTTY
Mot"ty, a.
Defn: Full of, or consisting of, motes. [Written also mottie.]
[Scot.]
The motty dust reek raised by the workmen. H. Miller.
MOUCHOIR
Mou`choir", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A handkerchief.
MOUEZZIN
Mou*ez"zin, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: See Muezzin.
MOUFLON
Mouf"lon, n. Etym: [F. mouflon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A wild sheep (Ovis musimon), inhabiting the mountains of Sardinia, Corsica, etc. Its horns are very large, with a triangular base and rounded angles. It is supposed by some to be the original of the domestic sheep. Called also musimon or musmon. [Written also moufflon.]
MOUGHT
Mought, obs.imp.
Defn: of May. Might.
MOUILLATION
Mouil*la"tion, n. Etym: [See Mouillé.] (Phon.)
Defn: The act of uttering the sound of a mouillé letter.
MOUILLE
Mouil`lé", a. Etym: [F., lit., wet.] (Phon.)
Defn: Applied to certain consonants having a "liquid" or softened sound; e.g., in French, l or ll and gn (like the lli in million and ni in minion); in Italian, gl and gn; in Spanish, ll and ñ; in Portuguese, lh and nh.
MOULD; MOULDER; MOULDY
Mould, Mould"er, Mould"y, etc.
Defn: See Mold, Molder, Moldy, etc.
MOULE
Moule, v. i. Etym: [OE. moulen. See Mold.]
Defn: To contract mold; to grow moldy; to mold. [Obs.]
Let us not moulen thus in idleness. Chaucer.
MOULINE; MOULINET Mou*line", Mou"li*net, n. Etym: [F. moulinet, orig., a little mill, dim. of moulin mill. See Mill.]
1. The drum upon which the rope is wound in a capstan, crane, or the like.
2. A machine formerly used for bending a crossbow by winding it up.
3. In sword and saber exercises, a circular swing of the weawon.
MOULT
Moult, v. & n.
Defn: See Molt.
MOULTEN
Moult"en, a.
Defn: Having molted. [Obs.] "A moulten raven." Shak.
MOUN
Moun, v.,
Defn: pl. of Mow, may. [Obs.] Wyclif.
MOUNCH
Mounch, v. t.
Defn: To munch. [Obs.]
MOUND
Mound, n. Etym: [F. monde the world, L. mundus. See Mundane.]
Defn: A ball or globe forming part of the regalia of an emperor or other sovereign. It is encircled with bands, enriched with precious stones, and surmounted with a cross; — called also globe.
MOUND
Mound, n. Etym: [OE. mound, mund, protection, AS. mund protection,
hand; akin to OHG. munt, Icel. mund hand, and prob. to L. manus. See
Manual.]
Defn: An artificial hill or elevation of earth; a raised bank; an embarkment thrown up for defense; a bulwark; a rampart; also, a natural elevation appearing as if thrown up artificially; a regular and isolated hill, hillock, or knoll. To thrid the thickets or to leap the mounds. Dryden. Mound bird. (Zoöl.) Same as Mound maker (below). — Mound builders (Ethnol.), the tribe, or tribes, of North American aborigines who built, in former times, extensive mounds of earth, esp. in the valleys of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers. Formerly they were supposed to have preceded the Indians, but later investigations go to show that they were, in general, identical with the tribes that occupied the country when discovered by Europeans. — Mound maker (Zoöl.), any one of the megapodes. — Shell mound, a mound of refuse shells, collected by aborigines who subsisted largely on shellfish. See Midden, and Kitchen middens.
MOUND
Mound, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mounded; p. pr. & vb. n. Mounding.]
Defn: To fortify or inclose with a mound.
MOUNT
Mount, n. Etym: [OE. munt, mont, mount, AS. munt, fr. L. mons,
montis; cf. L. minae protections, E. eminent, menace: cf. F. mont.
Cf. Mount, v., Mountain, Mont, Monte, Montem.]
1. A mass of earth, or earth and rock, rising considerably above the common surface of the surrounding land; a mountain; a high hill; — used always instead of mountain, when put before a proper name; as, Mount Washington; otherwise, chiefly in poetry.
2. A bulwark for offense or defense; a mound. [Obs.] Hew ye down trees, and cast a mount against Jerusalem. Jer. vi. 6.
3. Etym: [See Mont de piété.]
Defn: A bank; a fund. Mount of piety. See Mont de piété.
MOUNT
Mount, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mounted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mounting.] Etym:
[OE. mounten, monten, F. monter, fr. L. mons, montis, mountain. See
Mount, n. (above).]
1. To rise on high; to go up; to be upraised or uplifted; to tower aloft; to ascend; — often with up. Though Babylon should mount up to heaven. Jer. li. 53. The fire of trees and houses mounts on high. Cowley.
2. To get up on anything, as a platform or scaffold; especially, to seat one's self on a horse for riding.
3. To attain in value; to amount. Bring then these blessings to a strict account, Make fair deductions, see to what they mount. Pope.
MOUNT
Mount, v. t.
1. To get upon; to ascend; to climb. Shall we mount again the rural throne Dryden.
2. To place one's self on, as a horse or other animal, or anything that one sits upon; to bestride.
3. To cause to mount; to put on horseback; to furnish with animals for riding; to furnish with horses. "To mount the Trojan troop." Dryden.
4. Hence: To put upon anything that sustains and fits for use, as a gun on a carriage, a map or picture on cloth or paper; to prepare for being worn or otherwise used, as a diamond by setting, or a sword blade by adding the hilt, scabbard, etc.
5. To raise aloft; to lift on high. What power is it which mounts my love so high Shak.
Note: A fort or ship is said to mount cannon, when it has them arranged for use in or about it. To mount guard (Mil.), to go on guard; to march on guard; to do duty as a guard. — To mount a play, to prepare and arrange the scenery, furniture, etc., used in the play.
MOUNT
Mount, n. Etym: [From Mount, v.]
Defn: That upon which a person or thing is mounted, as:
(a) A horse.
She had so good a seat and hand, she might be trusted with any mount.
G. Eliot.
(b) The cardboard or cloth on which a drawing, photograph, or the like is mounted; a mounting.
MOUNTABLE
Mount"a*ble, a.
Defn: Such as can be mounted.
MOUNTAIN Moun"tain, n. Etym: [OE. mountaine, montaine, F. montagne, LL. montanea, montania, fr. L. mons, montis, a mountain; cf. montanus belonging to a mountain. See 1st Mount.]
1. A large mass of earth and rock, rising above the common level of the earth or adjacent land; earth and rock forming an isolated peak or a ridge; an eminence higher than a hill; a mount.
2. pl.
Defn: A range, chain, or group of such elevations; as, the White
Mountains.
3. A mountainlike mass; something of great bulk. I should have been a mountain of mummy. Shak. The Mountain (La montagne) (French Hist.), a popular name given in 1793 to a party of extreme Jacobins in the National Convention, who occupied the highest rows of seats.
MOUNTAIN
Moun"tain, a.
1. Of or pertaining to a mountain or mountains; growing or living on a mountain; found on or peculiar to mountains; among mountains; as, a mountain torrent; mountain pines; mountain goats; mountain air; mountain howitzer.
2. Like a mountain; mountainous; vast; very great. The high, the mountain majesty of worth. Byron. Mountain anthelope (Zoöl.), the goral. — Mountain ash (Bot.), an ornamental tree, the Pyrus (Sorbus) Americana, producing beautiful bunches of red berries. Its leaves are pinnate, and its flowers white, growing in fragrant clusters. The European species is the P. aucuparia, or rowan tree. — Mountain barometer, a portable barometer, adapted for safe transportation, used in measuring the heights of mountains. — Mountain beaver (Zoöl.), the sewellel. — Mountain blue (Min.), blue carbonate of copper; azurite. — Mountain cat (Zoöl.), the catamount. See Catamount. — Mountain chain, a series of contiguous mountain ranges, generally in parallel or consecutive lines or curves. — Mountain cock (Zoöl.), capercailzie. See Capercailzie. — Mountain cork (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling cork in its texture. — Mountain crystal. See under Crystal. — Mountain damson (Bot.), a large tree of the genus Simaruba (S. amarga) growing in the West Indies, which affords a bitter tonic and astringent, sometimes used in medicine. — Mountain dew, Scotch whisky, so called because often illicitly distilled among the mountains. [Humorous] — Mountain ebony (Bot.), a small leguminous tree (Bauhinia variegata) of the East and West Indies; — so called because of its dark wood. The bark is used medicinally and in tanning. — Mountain flax (Min.), a variety of asbestus, having very fine fibers; amianthus. See Amianthus. — Mountain fringe (Bot.), climbing fumitory. See under Fumitory. — Mountain goat. (Zoöl.) See Mazama. — Mountain green. (Min.) (a) Green malachite, or carbonate of copper. (b) See Green earth, under Green, a. — Mountain holly (Bot.), a branching shrub (Nemopanthes Canadensis), having smooth oblong leaves and red berries. It is found in the Northern United States. — Mountain laurel (Bot.), an American shrub (Kalmia latifolia) with glossy evergreen leaves and showy clusters of rose-colored or white flowers. The foliage is poisonous. Called also American laurel, ivy bush, and calico bush. See Kalmia. — Mountain leather (Min.), a variety of asbestus, resembling leather in its texture. — Mountain licorice (Bot.), a plant of the genus Trifolium (T. Alpinum). — Mountain limestone (Geol.), a series of marine limestone strata below the coal measures, and above the old red standstone of Great Britain. See Chart of Geology. — Mountain linnet (Zoöl.), the twite. — Mountain magpie. (Zoöl.) (a) The yaffle, or green woodpecker. (b) The European gray shrike. — Mountain mahogany (Bot.) See under Mahogany. — Mountain meal (Min.), a light powdery variety of calcite, occurring as an efflorescence. — Mountain milk (Min.), a soft spongy variety of carbonate of lime. — Mountain mint. (Bot.) See Mint. — Mountain ousel (Zoöl.), the ring ousel; — called also mountain thrush and mountain colley. See Ousel. — Mountain pride, or Mountain green (Bot.), a tree of Jamaica (Spathelia simplex), which has an unbranched palmlike stem, and a terminal cluster of large, pinnate leaves. — Mountain quail (Zoöl.), the plumed partridge (Oreortyx pictus) of California. It has two long, slender, plumelike feathers on the head. The throat and sides are chestnut; the belly is brown with transverse bars of black and white; the neck and breast are dark gray. — Mountain range, a series of mountains closely related in position and direction. — Mountain rice. (Bot.) (a) An upland variety of rice, grown without irrigation, in some parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States. (b) An American genus of grasses (Oryzopsis). — Mountain rose (Bot.), a species of rose with solitary flowers, growing in the mountains of Europe (Rosa alpina). — Mountain soap (Min.), a soft earthy mineral, of a brownish color, used in crayon painting; saxonite. — Mountain sorrel (Bot.), a low perennial plant (Oxyria digyna with rounded kidney-form leaves, and small greenish flowers, found in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, and in high northern latitudes. Gray. — Mountain sparrow (Zoöl.), the European tree sparrow. — Mountain spinach. (Bot.) See Orach. — Mountain tobacco (Bot.), a composite plant (Arnica montana) of Europe; called also leopard's bane. — Mountain witch (Zoöl.), a ground pigeon of Jamaica, of the genus Geotrygon.
MOUNTAINEER
Moun`tain*eer", n. Etym: [OF. montanier, LL. montanarius. See
Mountain.]
1. An inhabitant of a mountain; one who lives among mountains.
2. A rude, fierce person. [Obs.] No savage fierce, bandit, or mountaineer. Milton.
MOUNTAINEER
Moun`tain*eer", v. i.
Defn: To lie or act as a mountaineer; to climb mountains.
You can't go mountaineering in a flat country. H. James.
MOUNTAINER
Moun"tain*er, n.
Defn: A mountaineer. [Obs.]
MOUNTAINET
Moun"tain*et, n.
Defn: A small mountain. [R.]
MOUNTAINOUS
Moun"tain*ous, a. Etym: [F. montagneux, L. montaniosus.]
1. Full of, or containing, mountains; as, the mountainous country of the Swiss.
2. Inhabiting mountains. [Obs.] Bacon.
3. Large as, or resembling, a mountain; huge; of great bulk; as, a mountainous heap. Prior.
MOUNTAINOUSNESS
Moun"tain*ous*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being mountainous.
MOUNTAIN SPECTER
Moun"tain spec"ter.
Defn: An optical phenomenon sometimes seen on the summit of mountains (as on the Brocken) when the observer is between the sun and a mass of cloud. The figures of the observer and surrounding objects are seen projected on the cloud, greatly enlarged and often encircled by rainbow colors.
MOUNTAIN STATE
Moun"tain State.
Defn: Montana; — a nickname.
MOUNTANCE
Mount"ance, n. Etym: [OF. montance.]
Defn: Amount; sum; quantity; extent. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOUNTANT
Mount"ant, a. Etym: [F. montant, p.pr. of monter. See Mount, and cf.
Montant.]
Defn: Raised; high. [Obs.]
MOUNTEBANK Mount"e*bank, n. Etym: [It. montimbanco, montambanco; montare to mount + in in, upon + banco bench. See Mount, and 4th Bank.]
1. One who mounts a bench or stage in the market or other public place, boasts of his skill in curing diseases, and vends medicines which he pretends are infalliable remedies; a quack doctor. Such is the weakness and easy credulity of men, that a mountebank … is preferred before an able physician. Whitlock.
2. Any boastful or false pretender; a charlatan; a quack. Nothing so impossible in nature but mountebanks will undertake. Arbuthnot.
MOUNTEBANK
Mount"e*bank, v. t.
Defn: To cheat by boasting and false pretenses; to gull. [R.] Shak.
MOUNTEBANK
Mount"e*bank, v. i.
Defn: To play the mountebank.
MOUNTEBANKERY
Mount"e*bank`er*y, n.
Defn: The practices of a mountebank; quackery; boastful and vain pretenses.
MOUNTEBANKISH
Mount"e*bank`ish, a.
Defn: Like a mountebank or his quackery. Howell.
MOUNTEBANKISM
Mount"e*bank*ism, n.
Defn: The practices of a mountebank; mountebankery.
MOUNTED
Mount"ed, a.
1. Seated or serving on horseback or similarly; as, mounted police; mounted infantry.
2. Placed on a suitable support, or fixed in a setting; as, a mounted gun; a mounted map; a mounted gem.
MOUNTENAUNCE
Mount"e*naunce, n.
Defn: Mountance. [Obs.]
MOUNTER
Mount"er, n.
1. One who mounts.
2. An animal mounted; a monture. [Obs.]
MOUNTING
Mount"ing, n.
1. The act of one that mounts.
2. That by which anything is prepared for use, or set off to advantage; equipment; embellishment; setting; as, the mounting of a sword or diamond.
MOUNTINGLY
Mount"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In an ascending manner.
MOUNTLET
Mount"let, n.
Defn: A small or low mountain. [R.]
MOUNTY
Mount"y, n. Etym: [F. montée, fr. monter. See Mount, v.]
Defn: The rise of a hawk after prey. Sir P. Sidney.
MOURN
Mourn, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mourned; p. pr. & vb. n. Mourning.] Etym:
[AS. murnan; akin to OS. mornian, OHG. mornen, Goth. maúrnan.]
1. To express or to feel grief or sorrow; to grieve; to be sorrowful; to lament; to be in a state of grief or sadness. Abraham came to mourn for Sarah, and to weep for her. Gen. xxiii. 2.
2. To wear the customary garb of a mourner. We mourn in black; why mourn we not in blood Shak. Grieve for an hour, perhaps, then mourn a year. Pope.
MOURN
Mourn, v. t.
1. To grieve for; to lament; to deplore; to bemoan; to bewail.
As if he mourned his rival's ill success. Addison.
And looking over the hills, I mourn The darling who shall not return.
Emerson.
2. To utter in a mournful manner or voice. The lovelorn nightingale Nightly to thee her sad song mourneth well. Milton.
Syn.
— See Deplore.
MOURNE
Mourne, n. Etym: [See 2d Morne.]
Defn: The armed or feruled end of a staff; in a sheephook, the end of the staff to which the hook is attached. Sir P. Sidney.
MOURNER
Mourn"er, n.
1. One who mourns or is grieved at any misfortune, as the death of a friend. His mourners were two hosts, his friends and foes. Byron.
2. One who attends a funeral as a hired mourner. Mourners were provided to attend the funeral. L'Estrange.
MOURNFUL
Mourn"ful, a.
Defn: Full of sorrow; expressing, or intended to express, sorrow; mourning; grieving; sad; also, causing sorrow; saddening; grievous; as, a mournful person; mournful looks, tones, loss. — Mourn"ful*ly, adv. — Mourn"ful*ness, n.
Syn. — Sorrowful; lugubrious; sad; doleful; heavy; afflictive; grievous; calamitous.
MOURNING
Mourn"ing, n. Etym: [AS. murnung.]
1. The act of sorrowing or expressing grief; lamentation; sorrow.
2. Garb, drapery, or emblems indicative of grief, esp. clothing or a badge of somber black. The houses to their tops with black were spread, And ev'n the pavements were with mourning hid. Dryden. Deep mourning. See under Deep.
MOURNING
Mourn"ing, a.
1. Grieving; sorrowing; lamenting.
2. Employed to express sorrow or grief; worn or used as appropriate to the condition of one bereaved or sorrowing; as, mourning garments; a mourning ring; a mourning pin, and the like. Mourning bride (Bot.), a garden flower (Scabiosa atropurpurea) with dark purple or crimson flowers in flattened heads. — Mourning dove (Zoöl.), a wild dove (Zenaidura macroura) found throughout the United States; — so named from its plaintive note. Called also Carolina dove. See Illust. under Dove. — Mourning warbler (Zoöl.), an American ground warbler (Geothlypis Philadelphia). The male has the head, neck, and chest, deep ash-gray, mixed with black on the throat and chest; other lower parts are pure yellow.
MOURNINGLY
Mourn"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mourning manner.
MOURNIVAL
Mour"ni*val, n.
Defn: See Murnival.
MOUSE
Mouse (mous), n.; pl. Mice (mis). Etym: [OE. mous, mus, AS. mus, pl.
mys; akin to D. muis, G. maus, OHG. & Icel. mus, Dan. muus, Sw. mus,
Russ. muishe, L. mus, Gr. my^s, Skr. mush mouse, mush to steal. *277.
Cf. Muscle, Musk.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of small rodents belonging to the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridæ. The common house mouse (Mus musculus) is found in nearly all countries. The American white-footed, or deer, mouse (Hesperomys leucopus) sometimes lives in houses. See Dormouse, Meadow mouse, under Meadow, and Harvest mouse, under Harvest.
2. (Naut.) (a) A knob made on a rope with spun yarn or parceling to prevent a running eye from slipping. (b) Same as 2d Mousing, 2.
3. A familiar term of endearment. Shak.
4. A dark-colored swelling caused by a blow. [Slang]
5. A match used in firing guns or blasting. Field mouse, Flying mouse, etc. See under Field, Flying, etc. — Mouse bird (Zoöl.), a coly. — Mouse deer (Zoöl.), a chevrotain, as the kanchil. — Mouse galago (Zoöl.), a very small West American galago (Galago murinus). In color and size it resembles a mouse. It has a bushy tail like that of a squirrel. — Mouse hawk. (Zoöl.) (a) A hawk that devours mice. (b) The hawk owl; — called also mouse owl. — Mouse lemur (Zoöl.), any one of several species of very small lemurs of the genus Chirogaleus, found in Madagascar. — Mouse piece (Cookery), the piece of beef cut from the part next below the round or from the lower part of the latter; — called also mouse buttock.
MOUSE
Mouse, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Moused; p. pr. & vb. n. Mousing.]
1. To watch for and catch mice.
2. To watch for or pursue anything in a sly manner; to pry about, on the lookout for something.
MOUSE
Mouse, v. t.
1. To tear, as a cat devours a mouse. [Obs.] "[Death] mousing the flesh of men." Shak.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: To furnish with a mouse; to secure by means of a mousing. See
Mouse, n., 2.
MOUSE-EAR Mouse"-ear`, n. (Bot.) (a) The forget-me-not (Myosotis palustris) and other species of the same genus. (b) A European species of hawkweed (Hieracium Pilosella). Mouse-ear chickweed, a name of two common species of chickweed (Cerastium vulgarium, and C. viscosum). — Mouse-ear cress, a low cruciferous herb (Sisymbrium Thaliana). All these are low herbs with soft, oval, or obovate leaves, whence the name.
MOUSEFISH
Mouse"fish`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Frogfish.
MOUSEHOLE
Mouse"hole`, n.
Defn: A hole made by a mouse, for passage or abode, as in a wall; hence, a very small hole like that gnawed by a mouse.
MOUSEKIN
Mouse"kin, n.
Defn: A little mouse. Thackeray.
MOUSER
Mous"er, n.
1. A cat that catches mice.
2. One who pries about on the lookout for something.
MOUSETAIL
Mouse"tail`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of ranunculaceous plants (Myosurus), in which the prolonged receptacle is covered with imbricating achenes, and so resembles the tail of a mouse.
MOUSIE
Mous"ie, n.
Defn: Diminutive for Mouse. Burns.
MOUSING
Mous"ing, a.
Defn: Impertinently inquisitive; prying; meddlesome. "Mousing saints." L'Estrange.
MOUSING
Mous"ing, n.
1. The act of hunting mice.
2. (Naut.)
Defn: A turn or lashing of spun yarn or small stuff, or a metallic clasp or fastening, uniting the point and shank of a hook to prevent its unhooking or straighening out.
3. A ratchet movement in a loom. Mousing hook, a hook with an attachment which prevents its unhooking.
MOUSLE
Mou"sle, v. t.
Defn: To sport with roughly; to rumple. [Written also mouzle.] [Obs.]
Wycherley.
MOUSQUETAIRE
Mous`que*taire", n. [F.]
1. A musketeer, esp. one of the French royal musketeers of the 17th and 18th centuries, conspicuous both for their daring and their fine dress.
2. A mosquetaire cuff or glove, or other article of dress fancied to resemble those worn by the French mosquetaires.
MOUSQUETAIRE CUFF
Mousquetaire cuff.
Defn: A deep flaring cuff.
MOUSQUETAIRE GLOVE
Mousquetaire glove.
Defn: A woman's glove with a long, loosely fitting wrist.
MOUSSE
Mousse (moos), n. [F.] (Cookery)
Defn: A frozen dessert of a frothy texture, made of sweetened and flavored whipped cream, sometimes with the addition of egg yolks and gelatin. Mousse differs from ice cream in being beaten before — not during — the freezing process.
MOUSSELINE
Mousse`line", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Muslin. Mousseline de laine (. Etym: [F., muslin of wool.]
Muslin delaine. See under Muslin.
— Mousseline glass, a kind of thin blown glassware, such as
wineglasses, etc.
MOUSSELINE DE SOIE
Mousse`line de soie". [F.]
Defn: A soft thin silk fabric with a weave like that of muslin.
MOUSTACHE
Mous`tache", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: Mustache.
MOUSY
Mous"y, a.
Defn: Infested with mice; smelling of mice.
MOUTAN
Mou"tan, n. (Bot.)
Defn: The Chinese tree peony (Pæonia Mountan), a shrub with large flowers of various colors.
MOUTH Mouth, n.; pl. Mouths. Etym: [OE. mouth, mu, AS. m; akin to D. mond, OS. m, G. mund, Icel. mu, munnr, Sw. mun, Dan. mund, Goth. mun, and possibly L. mentum chin; or cf. D. muil mouth, muzzle, G. maul, OHG. m, Icel. m, and Skr. mukha mouth.]
1. The opening through which an animal receives food; the aperture between the jaws or between the lips; also, the cavity, containing the tongue and teeth, between the lips and the pharynx; the buccal cavity.
2. Hence:
Defn: An opening affording entrance or exit; orifice; aperture; as: (a) The opening of a vessel by which it is filled or emptied, charged or discharged; as, the mouth of a jar or pitcher; the mouth of the lacteal vessels, etc. (b) The opening or entrance of any cavity, as a cave, pit, well, or den. (c) The opening of a piece of ordnance, through which it is discharged. (d) The opening through which the waters of a river or any stream are discharged. (e) The entrance into a harbor.
3. (Saddlery)
Defn: The crosspiece of a bridle bit, which enters the mouth of an animal.
4. A principal speaker; one who utters the common opinion; a mouthpiece. Every coffeehouse has some particular statesman belonging to it, who is the mouth of the street where he lives. Addison.
5. Cry; voice. [Obs.] Dryden.
6. Speech; language; testimony. That in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. Matt. xviii. 16.
7. A wry face; a grimace; a mow.
Counterfeit sad looks, Make mouths upon me when I turn my back. Shak.
Down in the mouth, chapfallen; of dejected countenance; depressed;
discouraged. [Obs. or Colloq.] — Mouth friend, one who professes
friendship insincerely. Shak.
— Mouth glass, a small mirror for inspecting the mouth or teeth.
— Mouth honor, honor given in words, but not felt. Shak.
— Mouth organ. (Mus.) (a) Pan's pipes. See Pandean. (b) An
harmonicon.
— Mouth pipe, an organ pipe with a lip or plate to cut the escaping
air and make a sound.
— To stop the mouth, to silence or be silent; to put to shame; to
confound.
The mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped. Ps. lxiii. 11.
Whose mouths must be stopped. Titus i. 11.
MOUTH
Mouth, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mouthed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mouthing.]
1. To take into the mouth; to seize or grind with the mouth or teeth; to chew; to devour. Dryden.
2. To utter with a voice affectedly big or swelling; to speak in a strained or unnaturally sonorous manner. "Mouthing big phrases." Hare. Mouthing out his hollow oes and aes. Tennyson.
3. To form or cleanse with the mouth; to lick, as a bear her cub. Sir T. Browne.
4. To make mouths at. [R.] R. Blair.
MOUTH
Mouth, v. i.
1. To speak with a full, round, or loud, affected voice; to vociferate; to rant. I'll bellow out for Rome, and for my country, And mouth at Cæsar, till I shake the senate. Addison.
2. To put mouth to mouth; to kiss. [R.] Shak.
3. To make grimaces, esp. in ridicule or contempt. Well I know, when I am gone, How she mouths behind my back. Tennyson.
MOUTHED
Mouthed, a.
1. Furnished with a mouth.
2. Having a mouth of a particular kind; using the mouth, speech, or voice in a particular way; — used only in composition; as, wide- mouthed; hard-mouthed; foul-mouthed; mealy-mouthed.
MOUTHER
Mouth"er, n.
Defn: One who mouths; an affected speaker.
MOUTH-FOOTED
Mouth"-foot`ed, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the basal joints of the legs converted into jaws.
MOUTHFUL
Mouth"ful, n.; pl. Mouthfuls (.
1. As much as is usually put into the mouth at one time.
2. Hence, a small quantity.
MOUTHLESS
Mouth"less, a. Etym: [AS. muedhleás.]
Defn: Destitute of a mouth.
MOUTH-MADE
Mouth"-made`, a.
Defn: Spoken without sincerity; not heartfelt. "Mouth-made vows."
Shak.
MOUTHPIECE
Mouth"piece`, n.
1. The part of a musical or other instrument to which the mouth is applied in using it; as, the mouthpiece of a bugle, or of a tobacco pipe.
2. An appendage to an inlet or outlet opening of a pipe or vessel, to direct or facilitate the inflow or outflow of a fluid.
3. One who delivers the opinion of others or of another; a spokesman; as, the mouthpiece of his party. Egmont was imprudent enough to make himself the mouthpiece of their remonstrance. Motley.
MOVABILITY
Mov`a*bil"i*ty, n.
Defn: Movableness.
MOVABLE
Mov"a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. OF. movable. See Move.]
1. Capable of being moved, lifted, carried, drawn, turned, or conveyed, or in any way made to change place or posture; susceptible of motion; not fixed or stationary; as, a movable steam engine.
2. Changing from one time to another; as, movable feasts, i. e., church festivals, the date of which varies from year to year. Movable letter (Heb. Gram.), a letter that is pronounced, as opposed to one that is quiescent.
MOVABLE
Mov"a*ble, n.; pl. Movables (.
1. An article of wares or goods; a commodity; a piece of property not fixed, or not a part of real estate; generally, in the plural, goods; wares; furniture. Furnished with the most rich and princely movables. Evelyn.
2. (Rom. Law)
Defn: Property not attached to the soil.
Note: The word is not convertible with personal property, since rents and similar incidents of the soil which are personal property by our law are immovables by the Roman law. Wharton.
MOVABLENESS
Mov"a*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being movable; mobility; susceptibility of motion.
MOVABLY
Mov"a*bly, adv.
Defn: In a movable manner or condition.
MOVE Move, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Moved; p. pr. & vb. n. Moving.] Etym: [OE. moven, OF. moveir, F. mouvoir, L. movere; cf. Gr. miv, p.p. muta, to move, push. Cf. Emotion, Mew to molt, Mob, Mutable, Mutiny.]
1. To cause to change place or posture in any manner; to set in motion; to carry, convey, draw, or push from one place to another; to impel; to stir; as, the wind moves a vessel; the horse moves a carriage.
2. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: To transfer (a piece or man) from one space or position to another, according to the rules of the game; as, to move a king.
3. To excite to action by the presentation of motives; to rouse by representation, persuasion, or appeal; to influence. Minds desirous of revenge were not moved with gold. Knolles. No female arts his mind could move. Dryden.
4. To arouse the feelings or passions of; especially, to excite to tenderness or compassion; to touch pathetically; to excite, as an emotion. Shak. When he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. Matt. ix. 36. [The use of images] in orations and poetry is to move pity or terror. Felton.
5. To propose; to recommend; specifically, to propose formally for consideration and determination, in a deliberative assembly; to submit, as a resolution to be adopted; as, to move to adjourn. Let me but move one question to your daughter. Shak. They are to be blamed alike who move and who decline war upon particular respects. Hayward.
6. To apply to, as for aid. [Obs.] Shak.
Syn. — To stir; agitate; trouble; affect; persuade; influence; actuate; impel; rouse; prompt; instigate; incite; induce; incline; propose; offer.
MOVE
Move, v. i.
1. To change place or posture; to stir; to go, in any manner, from one place or position to another; as, a ship moves rapidly. The foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. Ps. xviii. 7. On the green bank I sat and listened long, … Nor till her lay was ended could I move. Dryden.
2. To act; to take action; to stir; to begin to act; as, to move in a matter.
3. To change residence; to remove, as from one house, town, or state, to another.
4. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: To change the place of a piece in accordance with the rules of the game.
MOVE
Move, n.
1. The act of moving; a movement.
2. (Chess, Checkers, etc.)
Defn: The act of moving one of the pieces, from one position to another, in the progress of the game.
3. An act for the attainment of an object; a step in the execution of a plan or purpose. To make a move. (a) To take some action. (b) To move a piece, as in a game. — To be on the move, to bustle or stir about. [Colloq.]
MOVELESS
Move`less, a.
Defn: Motionless; fixed. "Moveless as a tower." Pope.
MOVEMENT
Move"ment, n. Etym: [F. mouvement. See Move, and cf. Moment.]
1. The act of moving; change of place or posture; transference, by any means, from one situation to another; natural or appropriate motion; progress; advancement; as, the movement of an army in marching or maneuvering; the movement of a wheel or a machine; the party of movement.
2. Motion of the mind or feelings; emotion.
3. Manner or style of moving; as, a slow, or quick, or sudden, movement.
4. (Mus.) (a) The rhythmical progression, pace, and tempo of a piece. "Any change of time is a change of movement." Busby. (b) One of the several strains or pieces, each complete in itself, with its own time and rhythm, which make up a larger work; as, the several movements of a suite or a symphony.
5. (Mech.)
Defn: A system of mechanism for transmitting motion of a definite character, or for transforming motion; as, the wheelwork of a watch. Febrille movement (Med.), an elevation of the body temperature; a fever. — Movement cure. (Med.) See Kinesiatrics. — Movement of the bowels, an evacuation or stool; a passage or discharge.
Syn. — Motion. — Movement, Motion. Motion expresses a general idea of not being at rest; movement is oftener used to express a definite, regulated motion, esp. a progress.
MOVENT
Mo"vent, a. Etym: [L. movens, p.pr. of movere. See Move.]
Defn: Moving. [R.] Grew.
MOVENT
Mo"vent, n.
Defn: That which moves anything. [R.]
MOVER
Mov"er, n.
1. A person or thing that moves, stirs, or changes place.
2. A person or thing that imparts motion, or causes change of place; a motor.
3. One who, or that which, excites, instigates, or causes movement, change, etc.; as, movers of sedition. These most poisonous compounds, Which are the movers of a languishing death. Shak.
4. A proposer; one who offers a proposition, or recommends anything for consideration or adoption; as, the mover of a resolution in a legislative body.
MOVIE
Mov"ie, n.
Defn: A moving picture or a moving picture show; — commonly used in pl. [Slang or Colloq.]
MOVING
Mov"ing, a.
1. Changing place or posture; causing motion or action; as, a moving car, or power.
2. Exciting movement of the mind; adapted to move the sympathies, passions, or affections; touching; pathetic; as, a moving appeal. I sang an old moving story. Coleridge. Moving force (Mech.), a force that accelerates, retards, or deflects the motion of a body. — Moving plant (Bot.), a leguminous plant (Desmodium gyrans); — so called because its leaflets have a distinct automatic motion.
MOVING
Mov"ing, n.
Defn: The act of changing place or posture; esp., the act of changing one's dwelling place or place of business. Moving day, a day when one moves; esp., a day when a large number of tenants change their dwelling place.
MOVINGLY
Mov"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a moving manner. Addison.
MOVINGNESS
Mov"ing*ness, n.
Defn: The power of moving.
MOVING PICTURE
Moving picture.
Defn: A series of pictures, usually photographs taken with a special machine, presented to the eye in very rapid succession, with some or all of the objects in the picture represented in slightly changed positions, producing, by persistence of vision, the optical effect of a continuous picture in which the objects move in some manner, as that of some original scene. The usual form of moving pictures is that produced by the cinematograph.
MOW Mow, n. [Written also moe and mowe.] Etym: [F. moue pouting, a wry face; cf. OD. mouwe the protruded lip.]
Defn: A wry face. "Make mows at him." Shak.
MOW
Mow, v. i.
Defn: To make mouths.
Nodding, becking, and mowing. Tyndale.
MOW
Mow, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Mew, a gull.
MOW
Mow, v. [pres. sing. Mow, pl. Mowe, Mowen, Moun.] Etym: [AS. magan.
See May, v.]
Defn: May; can. "Thou mow now escapen." [Obs.] Chaucer.
Our walles mowe not make hem resistence. Chaucer.
MOW Mow, v. t. [imp. Mowed; p. p. Mowed or Mown (; p. pr. & vb. n. Mowing.] Etym: [OE. mowen, mawen, AS. mawan; akin to D. maaijen, G. mähen, OHG. majan, Dan. meie, L. metere to reap, mow, Gr. Math, Mead a meadow, Meadow.]
1. To cut down, as grass, with a scythe or machine.
2. To cut the grass from; as, to mow a meadow.
3. To cut down; to cause to fall in rows or masses, as in mowing grass; — with down; as, a discharge of grapeshot mows down whole ranks of men.
MOW
Mow, v. i.
Defn: To cut grass, etc., with a scythe, or with a machine; to cut grass for hay.
MOW
Mow, n. Etym: [OE. mowe, AS. m.]
1. A heap or mass of hay or of sheaves of grain stowed in a barn.
2. The place in a barn where hay or grain in the sheaf is stowed.
MOW
Mow, v. t.
Defn: To lay, as hay or sheaves of grain, in a heap or mass in a barn; to pile and stow away.
MOWBURN
Mow"burn`, v. i.
Defn: To heat and ferment in the mow, as hay when housed too green.
MOWE
Mowe, v.
Defn: See 4th Mow. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MOWE
Mowe, n. & v.
Defn: See 1st & 2d Mow. [Obs.]
MOWER
Mow"er, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mows; a mowing machine; as, a lawn mower.
MOWING
Mow"ing, n.
1. The act of one who, or the operation of that which, mows.
2. Land from which grass is cut; meadow land. Mowing machine, an agricultural machine armed with knives or blades for cutting standing grass, etc. It is drawn by a horse or horses, or propelled by steam.
MOWN
Mown, p. p. & a.
Defn: Cut down by mowing, as grass; deprived of grass by mowing; as, a mown field.
MOWYER
Mow"yer, n.
Defn: A mower. [Obs.]
MOXA Mox"a, n. Etym: [A corruption of Japan. mogusa (pronounced mongsa), an escharotic made from the plant yomigi: cf. F. moxa.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: A soft woolly mass prepared from the young leaves of Artemisia Chinensis, and used as a cautery by burning it on the skin; hence, any substance used in a like manner, as cotton impregnated with niter, amadou.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant from which this substance is obtained, esp. Artemisia
Chinensis, and A. moxa.
MOXIE
Mox"ie, n. Etym: [fr. Moxie, a trade name for a beverage.]
1. energy; pep.
2. courage, determination.
3. Know-how, expertise. MW10.
MOYA
Moy"a, n.
Defn: Mud poured out from volcanoes during eruptions; — so called in
South America.
MOYLE
Moyle, n. & v.
Defn: See Moil, and Moile.
MOZARAB; MOZARABIC
Moz"a*rab, Moz`a*rab"ic.
Defn: Same as Muzarab, Muzarabic.
MOZETTA; MOZZETTA
Mo*zet"ta, Moz*zet"ta, n. Etym: [It. mozzetta: cf. F. mosette. Cf.
Amice a hood or cape.] (Eccl.)
Defn: A cape, with a small hood; — worn by the pope and other dignitaries of the Roman Catholic Church.
MR.
Mr.. (.
Defn: The customary abbreviation of Mister in writing and printing.
See Master, 4.
MRS.
Mrs. (.
Defn: The customary abbreviation of Mistress when used as a title of courtesy, in writing and printing.
MUCAMIDE
Mu*cam"ide, n. Etym: [Mucic + amide.] (Chem.)
Defn: The acid amide of mucic acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
MUCATE
Mu"cate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of mucic acid.
MUCE
Muce, n.
Defn: See Muse, and Muset.
MUCEDIN
Mu*ce"din, n. Etym: [From Mucus.] (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: A yellowish white, amorphous, nitrogenous substance found in wheat, rye, etc., and resembling gluten; — formerly called also mucin.
MUCH Much, a. [Compar. & superl. wanting, but supplied by More, and Most (, from another root.] Etym: [OE. moche, muche, miche, prob. the same as mochel, muchel, michel, mikel, fr. AS. micel, mycel; cf. Gr. mjök, adv., much. *103. See Mickle.]
1. Great in quantity; long in duration; as, much rain has fallen; much time. Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather but little in. Deut. xxviii. 38.
2. Many in number. [Archaic] Edom came out against him with much people. Num. xx. 20.
3. High in rank or position. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MUCH
Much, n.
1. A great quantity; a great deal; also, an indefinite quantity; as, you have as much as I. He that gathered much had nothing over. Ex. xvi. 18.
Note: Muchin this sense can be regarded as an adjective qualifying a word unexpressed, and may, therefore, be modified by as, so, too, very.
2. A thing uncommon, wonderful, or noticeable; something
considerable.
And [he] thought not much to clothe his enemies. Milton.
To make much of, to treat as something of especial value or worth.
MUCH
Much, adv. Etym: [Cf. Icel. mjök. See Much, a.]
Defn: To a great degree or extent; greatly; abundantly; far; nearly.
"Much suffering heroes." Pope.
Thou art much mightier than we. Gen. xxvi. 16.
Excellent speech becometh not a fool, much less do lying lips a
prince. Prov. xvii. 7.
Henceforth I fly not death, nor would prolong Life much. Milton.
All left the world much as they found it. Sir W. Temple.
MUCHEL
Much"el, a. Etym: [*103. See Mickle.]
Defn: Much. [Obs.]
MUCHNESS
Much"ness, n.
Defn: Greatness; extent. [Obs. or Colloq.]
The quantity and muchness of time which it filcheth. W. Whately.
Much of a muchness, much the same. [Colloq.] "Men's men; gentle or
simple, they 're much of muchness." G. Eliot.
MUCHWHAT
Much"what`, adv.
Defn: Nearly; almost; much. [Obs.] "Muchwhat after the same manner."
Glanvill.
MUCIC
Mu"cic, a. Etym: [L. mucus mucus: cf. F. mucique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, gums and micilaginous substances; specif., denoting an acid obtained by the oxidation of gums, dulcite, etc., as a white crystalline substance isomeric with saccharic acid.
MUCID
Mu"cid, a. Etym: [L. mucidus, fr. L. mucus mucus. See Mucus, and cf.
Moist.]
Defn: Musty; moldy; slimy; mucous.
— Mu"cid*ness, n.
MUCIFIC
Mu*cif"ic, a. Etym: [Mucus + L. -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
1. (Med.)
Defn: Inducing or stimulating the secretion of mucus; blennogenous.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Secreting mucus.
MUCIFORM
Mu"ci*form, a. Etym: [Mucus + -form.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Resembling mucus; having the character or appearance of mucus.
MUCIGEN
Mu"ci*gen, n. Etym: [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A substance which is formed in mucous epithelial cells, and gives rise to mucin.
MUCIGENOUS
Mu*cig"e*nous, a. (Physiol.)
Defn: Connected with the formation of mucin; resembling mucin. The mucigenous basis is manufactured at the expense of the ordinary protoplasm of the cell. Foster.
MUCILAGE Mu"ci*lage, n. Etym: [F., from L. mucilago a musty juice, fr. mucus mucus, slime. See Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: A gummy or gelatinous substance produced in certain plants by the action of water on the cell wall, as in the seeds of quinces, of flax, etc.
2. An aqueous solution of gum, or of substances allied to it; as, medicinal mucilage; mucilage for fastening envelopes.
MUCILAGINOUS
Mu`ci*lag"i*nous, a. Etym: [Cf. F. mucilagineux. See Mucilage.]
1. Partaking of the nature of, or resembling, mucilage; moist, soft, and viscid; slimy; ropy; as, a mucilaginous liquid.
2. Of, pertaining to, or secreting, mucilage; as, the mucilaginous glands.
3. Soluble in water, but not in alcohol; yielding mucilage; as, mucilaginous gums or plants. — Mu`ci*lag"i*nous*ness, n.
MUCIN
Mu"cin, n. Etym: [From Mucus.]
1. (Bot. Chem.)
Defn: See Mucedin. [Obs.]
2. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An albuminoid substance which is contained in mucus, and gives to the latter secretion its peculiar ropy character. It is found in all the secretions from mucous glands, and also between the fibers of connective tissue, as in tendons. See Illust. of Demilune.
MUCINOGEN
Mu*cin"o*gen, n. Etym: [Mucin + -gen.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Same as Mucigen.
MUCIPAROUS
Mu*cip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Mucus + L. parere to produce.] (Physiol.)
Defn: Secreting, or producing, mucus or mucin.
MUCIVORE
Mu"ci*vore, n. Etym: [L. mucus slime, mucus + vorare to devour.]
(Zoöl.)
Defn: An unsect which feeds on mucus, or the sap of plants, as certain Diptera, of the tribe Mucivora.
MUCK
Muck
Defn: , abbreviation of Amuck. To run a muck. See Amuck.
MUCK
Muck, n. Etym: [Icel. myki; akin to D. mög. Cf. Midden.]
1. Dung in a moist state; manure. Bacon.
2. Vegetable mold mixed with earth, as found in low, damp places and swamps.
3. Anything filthy or vile. Spenser.
4. Money; — in contempt.
The fatal muck we quarreled for. Beau. & Fl.
Muck bar, bar iron which has been through the rolls only once.
— Muck iron, crude puddled iron ready for the squeezer or rollers.
Knight.
MUCK
Muck, a.
Defn: Like muck; mucky; also, used in collecting or distributing muck; as, a muck fork.
MUCK
Muck, v. t.
Defn: To manure with muck.
MUCKENDER
Muck"en*der, n. Etym: [Sp. mocador. Cf. Mokadour.]
Defn: A handkerchief. [Obs.] [Written also muckinder, muckiter, mockadour.]
MUCKER
Muck"er, n.
Defn: A term of reproach for a low or vulgar labor person. [Slang]
MUCKER
Muck"er, v. t.
Defn: To scrape together, as money, by mean labor or shifts. [Obs.]
Udall.
MUCKERER
Muck"er*er, n.
Defn: A miser; a niggard. [Obs.]
MUCKINESS
Muck"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being mucky.
MUCKLE
Muc"kle, a. Etym: [See Mickle.]
Defn: Much. [Obs.]
MUCKMIDDEN
Muck"mid`den, n.
Defn: A dunghill. [Scot.]
MUCK RAKE
Muck rake.
Defn: A rake for scraping up muck or dung. See Muckrake, v. i., below.
MUCK-RAKE; MUCKRAKE; MUCKRAKER
Muck"rake`, v. i. [imp. & p. p. -raked; p. pr. & vb. n. -raking.]
Defn: To seek for, expose, or charge, esp. habitually, corruption, real or alleged, on the part of public men and corporations. On April 14, 1906, President Roosevelt delivered a speech on "The Man with the Muck Rake," in which he deprecated sweeping and unjust charges of corruption against public men and corporations. The phrase was taken up by the press, and the verb to muck"rake`, in the above sense, and the noun muck"rak`er, to designate one so engaged, were speedily coined and obtained wide currency. The original allusion was to a character in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" so intent on raking up muck that he could not see a celestial crown held above him.
MUCKSY
Muck"sy, a.
Defn: Somewhat mucky; soft, sticky, and dirty; muxy. [Prov. Eng.] R.
D. Blackmore.
MUCKWORM
Muck"worm`, n.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A larva or grub that lives in muck or manure; — applied to the larvæ of the tumbledung and allied beetles.
2. One who scrapes together money by mean labor and devices; a miser. "Misers are muckworms." Pope.
MUCKY
Muck"y, a.
1. Filthy with muck; miry; as, a mucky road. "Mucky filth." Spenser.
2. Vile, in a moral sense; sordid. [Obs.] Spenser. Mucky money and false felicity. Latimer.
MUCOCELE
Mu"co*cele, n. Etym: [Mucus + Gr. (Med.)
Defn: An enlargement or protrusion of the mucous membrane of the lachrymal passages, or dropsy of the lachrymal sac, dependent upon catarrhal inflammation of the latter. Dunglison.
MUCOID
Mu"coid, a. Etym: [Mucus + -oid.]
Defn: Resembling mucus. Dunglison. Mucoid degeneration, a form of degeneration in which the tissues are transformed into a semisolid substance resembling mucus. Quain.
MUCONATE
Mu"co*nate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of muconic acid.
MUCONIC
Mu*con"ic, a. Etym: [Mucic + itaconic.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, an organic acid, obtained indirectly from mucic acid, and somewhat resembling itaconic acid.
MUCOPURULENT
Mu`co*pu"ru*lent, a. Etym: [Mucus + purulent.] (Med.)
Defn: Having the character or appearance of both mucus and pus.
Dunglison.
MUCOR
Mu"cor, n. Etym: [L., fr. mucere to be moldy or musty.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of minute fungi. The plants consist of slender threads with terminal globular sporangia; mold.
MUCOSITY
Mu*cos"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mucous or slimy; mucousness.
MUCOUS
Mu"cous, a. Etym: [L. mucosus, fr. mucus mucus.]
1. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, mucus; slimy, ropy, or stringy, and lubricous; as, a mucous substance.
2. Secreting a slimy or mucigenous substance; as, the mucous membrane. Mucous membrane. (Anat.) See under Membrane. — Mucous patches (Med.), elevated patches found in the mucous membranes of the mouth and anus, usually due to syphilis. — Mucous tissue (Anat.), a form of connective tissue in an early stage of development, found in the umbilical cord and in the embryo, and also in certain tumors called myxomata.
MUCOUSNESS
Mu"cous*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mucous; sliminess.
MUCRO
Mu"cro, n. Etym: [L.] (Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: A minute abrupt point, as of a leaf; any small, sharp point or process, terminating a larger part or organ.
MUCRONATE; MUCRONATED Mu"cro*nate, Mu"cro*na`ted, a. Etym: [L. mucronatus, fr. mucro a sharp point: cf. F. mucroné.]
Defn: Ending abruptly in a sharp point; abruptly tipped with a short and sharp point; as, a mucronate leaf. — Mu"cro*nate*ly, adv.
MUCRONULATE
Mu*cron"u*late, a.
Defn: Having, or tipped with, a small point or points.
MUCULENT
Mu"cu*lent, a. Etym: [L. muculentus, fr. mucus.]
Defn: Slimy; moist, and moderately viscous.
MUCUS
Mu"cus, n. Etym: [L. mucus, muccus; cf. mucere 8be moldy or musty,
Gr. muc to release. Cf. Match for striking fire, Moist, Mucilage.]
1. (Physiol.)
Defn: A viscid fluid secreted by mucous membranes, which it serves to moisten and protect. It covers the lining membranes of all the cavities which open externally, such as those of the mouth, nose, lungs, intestinal canal, urinary passages, etc.
2. (Physiol.)
Defn: Any other animal fluid of a viscid quality, as the synovial fluid, which lubricates the cavities of the joints; — improperly so used.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: A gelatinous or slimy substance found in certain algæ and other plants.
MUCUSIN
Mu"cus*in, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: Mucin. [R.]
MUD Mud, n. Etym: [Akin to LG. mudde, D. modder, G. moder mold, OSw. modd mud, Sw. modder mother, Dan. mudder mud. Cf. Mother a scum on liquors.]
Defn: Earth and water mixed so as to be soft and adhesive. Mud bass (Zoöl.), a fresh-water fish (Acantharchum pomotis) of the Eastern United States. It produces a deep grunting note. — Mud bath, an immersion of the body, or some part of it, in mud charged with medicinal agents, as a remedy for disease. — Mud boat, a large flatboat used in deredging. — Mud cat. See Catfish. — Mud crab (Zoöl.), any one of several American marine crabs of the genus Panopeus. — Mud dab (Zoöl.), the winter flounder. See Flounder, and Dab. — Mud dauber (Zoöl.), a mud wasp. — Mud devil (Zoöl.), the fellbender. — Mud drum (Steam Boilers), a drum beneath a boiler, into which sediment and mud in the water can settle for removal. — Mud eel (Zoöl.), a long, slender, aquatic amphibian (Siren lacertina), found in the Southern United States. It has persistent external gills and only the anterior pair of legs. See Siren. — Mud frog (Zoöl.), a European frog (Pelobates fuscus). — Mud hen. (Zoöl.) (a) The American coot (Fulica Americana). (b) The clapper rail. — Mud lark, a person who cleans sewers, or delves in mud. [Slang] - - Mud minnow (Zoöl.), any small American fresh-water fish of the genus Umbra, as U. limi. The genus is allied to the pickerels. — Mud plug, a plug for stopping the mudhole of a boiler. — Mud puppy (Zoöl.), the menobranchus. — Mud scow, a heavy scow, used in dredging; a mud boat. [U.S.] — Mud turtle, Mud tortoise (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of fresh-water tortoises of the United States. — Mud wasp (Zoöl.), any one of numerous species of hymenopterous insects belonging to Pepæus, and allied genera, which construct groups of mud cells, attached, side by side, to stones or to the woodwork of buildings, etc. The female places an egg in each cell, together with spiders or other insects, paralyzed by a sting, to serve as food for the larva. Called also mud dauber.
MUD
Mud, v. t.
1. To bury in mud. [R.] Shak.
2. To make muddy or turbid. Shak.
MUDAR
Mu"dar, n. Etym: [Hind. madar.] (Bot.)
Defn: Either one of two asclepiadaceous shrubs (Calotropis gigantea, and C. procera), which furnish a strong and valuable fiber. The acrid milky juice is used medicinally.
MUDARIN
Mu"da*rin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A brown, amorphous, bitter substance having a strong emetic action, extracted from the root of the mudar.
MUDDILY
Mud"di*ly
Defn: , In a muddy manner; turbidly; without mixture; cloudily; obscurely; confusedly.
MUDDINESS
Mud"di*ness, n.
1. The condition or quality of being muddy; turbidness; foulness casued by mud, dirt, or sediment; as, the muddiness of a stream.
2. Obscurity or confusion, as in treatment of a subject; intellectual dullness.
MUDDLE
Mud"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muddled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muddling.]
Etym: [From Mud.]
1. To make turbid, or muddy, as water. [Obs.] He did ill to muddle the water. L'Estrange.
2. To cloud or stupefy; to render stupid with liquor; to intoxicate partially. Epicurus seems to have had brains so muddled and confounded, that he scarce ever kept in the right way. Bentley. Often drunk, always muddled. Arbuthnot.
3. To waste or misuse, as one does who is stupid or intoxicated. [R.] They muddle it [money] away without method or object, and without having anything to show for it. Hazlitt.
4. To mix confusedly; to confuse; to make a mess of; as, to muddle matters; also, to perplex; to mystify. F. W. Newman.
MUDDLE
Mud"dle, v. i.
1. To dabble in mud. [Obs.] Swift.
2. To think and act in a confused, aimless way.
MUDDLE
Mud"dle, n.
Defn: A state of being turbid or confused; hence, intellectual cloudiness or dullness. We both grub on in a muddle. Dickens.
MUDDLEHEAD
Mud"dle*head`, n.
Defn: A stupid person. [Colloq.] C. Reade.
— Mud"dle-head`ed, a. [Colloq.] Dickens.
MUDDLER
Mud"dler, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, muddles.
MUDDY
Mud"dy, a. [Compar. Muddier; superl. Muddiest.]
1. Abounding in mud; besmeared or dashed with mud; as, a muddy road or path; muddy boots.
2. Turbid with mud; as, muddy water.
3. Consisting of mud or earth; gross; impure. This muddy vesture of decay. Shak.
4. Confused, as if turbid with mud; cloudy in mind; dull; stupid; also, immethodical; incoherent; vague. Cold hearts and muddy understandings. Burke. Dost think I am so muddy, so unsettled. Shak.
5. Not clear or bright. Swift.
MUDDY
Mud"dy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muddied; p. pr. & vb. n. Muddying.]
1. To soil with mud; to dirty; to render turbid.
2. Fig.: To cloud; to make dull or heavy. Grew.
MUDDY-HEADED
Mud"dy-head`ed, a.
Defn: Dull; stupid.
MUDDY-METTLED
Mud"dy-met`tled, a.
Defn: Dull-spirited. Shak.
MUDFISH Mud"fish`, n. (Zoöl.) (a) The European loach. (b) The bowfin. (c) The South American lipedosiren, and the allied African species (Protopterus annectens). See Lipedosiren. (d) The mud minnow.
MUDHOLE
Mud"hole`, n.
1. A hole, or hollow place, containing mud, as in a road.
2. (Steam Boilers)
Defn: A hole near the bottom, through which the sediment is withdrawn.
MUDIR
Mu"dir, n.
Defn: Same as Moodir.
MUDSILL
Mud"sill`, n.
Defn: The lowest sill of a structure, usually embedded in the soil; the lowest timber of a house; also, that sill or timber of a bridge which is laid at the bottom of the water. See Sill.
MUDSUCKER
Mud"suck`er, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A woodcock.
MUDWALL
Mud"wall`, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The European bee-eater. See Bee-eater. [Written also modwall.]
MUDWORT
Mud"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A small herbaceous plant growing on muddy shores (Limosella aquatica).
MUE
Mue, v. i.
Defn: To mew; to molt. [Obs.] Quarles.
MUEZZIN
Mu*ez"zin, n. Etym: [Ar.]
Defn: A Mohammedan crier of the hour of prayer. [Written also mouezzin, mueddin, and muwazzin.]
MUFF Muff, n. Etym: [Cf. LG. muff, D. mof, G., Dan., & Sw. muff, F. moufle mitten, LL. muffula, MHG. mouwe sleeve, D. mouw, and E. muffle, v.]
1. A soft cover of cylindrical form, usually of fur, worn by women to shield the hands from cold.
2. (Mech.)
Defn: A short hollow cylinder surrounding an object, as a pipe.
3. (Glass Manuf.)
Defn: A blown cylinder of glass which is afterward flattened out to make a sheet.
4. Etym: [Perhaps a different word; cf. Prov. E. maffle to slammer.]
Defn: A stupid fellow; a poor-spirited person. [Colloq.] "A muff of a curate." Thackeray.
5. Etym: [See 4.] (Baseball)
Defn: A failure to hold a ball when once in the hands.
6. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The whitethroat. [Prov. Eng.]
MUFF
Muff, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muffed; p. pr. & vb. n. Muffing.]
Defn: To handle awkwardly; to fumble; to fail to hold, as a ball, in catching it.
MUFFETEE
Muf`fe*tee", n.
Defn: A small muff worn over the wrist. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
MUFFIN
Muf"fin, n. Etym: [From Muff.]
Defn: A light, spongy, cylindrical cake, used for breakfast and tea.
MUFFINEER
Muf`fin*eer", n.
Defn: A dish for keeping muffins hot.
MUFFISH
Muff"ish, a. Etym: [See Muff, 4 & 5.]
Defn: Stupid; awkward. [Colloq.]
MUFFLE
Muf"fle, n.
Defn: The bare end of the nose between the nostrils; — used esp. of ruminants.
MUFFLE
Muf"fle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muffled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muffling.]
Etym: [Cf. F. moufle a mitten, LL. muffula, OD. moffel a muff. See
Muff.]
1. To wrap up in something that conceals or protects; to wrap, as the face and neck, in thick and disguishing folds; hence, to conceal or cover the face of; to envelop; to inclose; — often with up. South. The face lies muffled up within the garment. Addison. He muffled with a cloud his mournful eyes. Dryden. Muffled up in darkness and superstition. Arbuthnot.
2. To prevent seeing, or hearing, or speaking, by wraps bound about the head; to blindfold; to deafen.
3. To wrap with something that dulls or deadens the sound of; as, to muffle the strings of a drum, or that part of an oar which rests in the rowlock.
MUFFLE
Muf"fle, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. maffle, mumble, D. moffelen.]
Defn: To speak indistinctly, or without clear articulation.
MUFFLE Muf"fle, n. Etym: [F. moufle, prop., a mitten, from the resemblance in shape. See Muffle, v. t., Muff.]
1. Anything with which another thing, as an oar or drum, is muffled; also, a boxing glove; a muff.
2. (Metal.)
Defn: An earthenware compartment or oven, often shaped like a half cylinder, used in furnaces to protect objects heated from the direct action of the fire, as in scorification of ores, cupellation of ore buttons, etc.
3. (Ceramics)
Defn: A small oven for baking and fixing the colors of painted or printed pottery, without exposing the pottery to the flames of the furnace or kiln.
4. A pulley block containing several sheaves. Knight.
MUFFLER
Muf"fler, n.
1. Anything used in muffling; esp., a scarf for protecting the head and neck in cold weather; a tippet. Fortune is painted blind, with a muffler above her eyes. Shak.
2. (Mus.)
Defn: A cushion for terminating or softening a note made by a stringed instrument with a keyboard.
3. A kind of mitten or boxing glove, esp. when stuffed.
4. One who muffles.
MUFLON
Muf"lon, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUFTI
Muf"ti, n.; pl. Muftis. Etym: [Ar. mufti.]
Defn: An official expounder of Mohammedan law.
MUFTI
Muf"ti, n.
Defn: Citizen's dress when worn by a naval or military officer; — a term derived from the British service in India. [Colloq. Eng.]
MUG
Mug, n. Etym: [Cf. Ir. mugam a mug, mucog a cup.]
1. A kind of earthen or metal drinking cup, with a handle, — usually cylindrical and without a lip.
2. The face or mouth. [Slang] Thackeray.
MUGGARD Mug"gard, a. Etym: [Cf. G. mucker a sulky person, muckish sullen, peevish, mucken to mutter, grumble.]
Defn: Sullen; displeased. [Obs.]
MUGGER; MUGGAR; MUGGUR Mug"ger, n. Also Mug"gar, Mug"gur. [Hind. magar, fr. Skr. makara sea monster.]
Defn: The common crocodile (Crocodilus palustris) of India, the East
Indies, etc. It becomes twelve feet or more long.
MUGGET
Mug"get, n.
Defn: The small entrails of a calf or a hog.
MUGGINESS
Mug"gi*ness, n.
Defn: The condition or quality of being muggy.
MUGGINS
Mug"gins, n. [Etym. unknown.]
1. A game of dominoes in which the object is to make the sum of the two ends of the line some multiple of five.
2. A game at cards which depends upon building in suits or matching exposed cards, the object being to get rid of one's cards.
MUGGINS
Mug"gins, v. t.
Defn: In certain games, to score against, or take an advantage over (an opponent), as for an error, announcing the act by saying "muggins."
MUGGISH
Mug"gish, a.
Defn: See Muggy.
MUGGLETONIAN
Mug`gle*to"ni*an, n. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of an extinct sect, named after Ludovic Muggleton, an
English journeyman tailor, who (about 1657) claimed to be inspired.
Eadie.
MUGGY Mug"gy, a. [Compar. Muggier; superl. Muggiest.] Etym: [Cf. Icel. mugga mist, mugginess. Cf. 4th Mold.]
1. Moist; damp; moldy; as, muggy straw.
2. Warm, damp, and close; as, muggy air, weather.
MUGHOUSE
Mug"house`, n.
Defn: An alehouse; a pothouse. Tickel.
MUGIENCY
Mu"gi*en*cy, n.
Defn: A bellowing. [Obs.]
MUGIENT
Mu"gi*ent, a. Etym: [L. mugiens, p.pr. of mugire to bellow.]
Defn: Lowing; bellowing. [Obs.] Sir T. Browne.
MUGIL
Mu"gil, n. Etym: [L., a sort of fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of fishes including the gray mullets. See Mullet.
MUGILOID
Mu"gi*loid, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Mugil, or family Mugilidæ.
MUGWEED
Mug"weed`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A slender European weed (Galium Cruciata); — called also crossweed.
MUGWORT
Mug"wort`, n. Etym: [AS. mucgwyrt. Cf. Midge.] (Bot.)
Defn: A somewhat aromatic composite weed (Artemisia vulgaris), at one time used medicinally; — called also motherwort.
MUGWUMP
Mug"wump`, n. Etym: [Cf. Algonquin mugquomp a chief.]
Defn: A bolter from the Republican party in the national election of 1884; an Independent. [Political Cant, U.S.]
MUGWUMPERY; MUGWUMPISM
Mug"wump`er*y, Mug"wump*ism, n.
Defn: The acts and views of the mugwumps. [Political Cant, U.S.]
MUHAMMADAN; MUHAMMEDAN
Mu*ham"mad*an, Mu*ham"med*an, a. & n.
Defn: Mohammedan.
MUHAMMADANISM
Mu*ham"mad*an*ism, n.
Defn: Mohammedanism.
MULADA
Mu*la"da, n.
Defn: A moor. [Scot.] Lockhart.
MULADA
Mu*la"da, n. Etym: [Sp. Amer., fr. Sp. mulo, mula, a mule.]
Defn: A drove of mules. [Southwest. U.S.]
MULATTO Mu*lat"to, n.; pl. Mulattoes. Etym: [Sp. & Pg. mulato, masc., mulata, fem., of a mixed breed, fr. mulo mule, L. mulus. See Mule.]
Defn: The offspring of a negress by a white man, or of a white woman by a negro, — usually of a brownish yellow complexion.
MULATTRESS
Mu*lat"tress, n.
Defn: A female mulatto. G. W. Gable.
MULBERRY
Mul"ber*ry, n.; pl. Mulberries. Etym: [OE. moolbery, murberie, AS.
murberie, where the first part is fr. L. morum mulberry; cf. Gr.
Murrey, Sycamore.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The berry or fruit of any tree of the genus Morus; also, the tree itself. See Morus.
2. A dark pure color, like the hue of a black mulberry. Mulberry mass. (Biol.) See Morula. — Paper mulberry, a tree (Broussonetia papyrifera), related to the true mulberry, used in Polynesia for making tapa cloth by macerating and pounding the inner bark, and in China and Japan for the manufacture of paper. It is seen as a shade tree in America.
MULBERRY-FACED
Mul"ber*ry-faced` (-fast`), a.
Defn: Having a face of a mulberry color, or blotched as if with mulberry stains.
MULCH Mulch, n. Etym: [Cf. mull dirt, also Prov. G. mulsch, molsch, rotten, soft, mellow, as fruit.]
Defn: Half-rotten straw, or any like substance strewn on the ground, as over the roots of plants, to protect from heat, drought, etc., and to preserve moisture.
MULCH
Mulch, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulched; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulching.]
Defn: To cover or dress with mulch.
MULCT
Mulct, n. Etym: [L. mulcta, multa.]
1. A fine or penalty, esp. a pecuniary punishment or penalty.
2. A blemish or defect. [Obs.]
Syn.
— Amercement; forfeit; forfeiture; penalty.
MULCT
Mulct, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulcted; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulcting.] Etym:
[L. mulctare, multare.]
1. To punish for an offense or misdemeanor by imposing a fine or forfeiture, esp. a pecuniary fine; to fine.
2. Hence, to deprive of; to withhold by way of punishment or discipline. [Obs.]
MULCTARY; MULCTUARY
Mulc"ta*ry, Mulc"tu*a*ry, a.
Defn: Imposing a pecuniary penalty; consisting of, or paid as, a
fine.
Fines, or some known mulctuary punishments. Sir W. Temple.
MULE Mule, n. Etym: [F., a she-mule, L. mula, fem. of mulus; cf. Gr. m, fr. L. mulus. Cf. Mulatto.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A hybrid animal; specifically, one generated between an ass and a mare, sometimes a horse and a she-ass. See Hinny.
Note: Mules are much used as draught animals. They are hardy, and proverbial for stubbornness.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A plant or vegetable produced by impregnating the pistil of one species with the pollen or fecundating dust of another; — called also hybrid.
3. A very stubborn person.
4. A machine, used in factories, for spinning cotton, wool, etc., into yarn or thread and winding it into cops; — called also jenny and mule-jenny. Mule armadillo (Zoöl.), a long-eared armadillo (Tatusia hybrida), native of Buenos Ayres; — called also mulita. See Illust. under Armadillo. — Mule deer (Zoöl.), a large deer (Cervus, or Cariacus, macrotis) of the Western United States. The name refers to its long ears. — Mule pulley (Mach.), an idle pulley for guiding a belt which transmits motion between shafts that are not parallel. — Mule twist, cotton yarn in cops, as spun on a mule; — in distinction from yarn spun on a throstle frame.
MULE-JENNY
Mule"-jen`ny, n.
Defn: See Mule, 4.
MULE KILLER
Mule killer.
Defn: Any of several arthropods erroneously supposed to kill live
stock, in the southern United States, by stinging or by being
swallowed; as:
(a) A whip scorpion. [Florida]
(b) A walking-stick insect. [Texas]
(c) A mantis.
(d) A wheel bug.
MULETEER Mu`le*teer", n. Etym: [F. muletier, fr. mulet a mule, dim. fr. L. mulus.]
Defn: One who drives mules.
MULEWORT
Mule"wort`, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A fern of the genus Hemionitis.
MULEY
Mu"ley, n. (Sawmills)
Defn: A stiff, long saw, guided at the ends but not stretched in a gate. Muley axle (Railroad), a car axle without collars at the outer ends of the journals. Forney.
MULEY
Mul"ey, n.
Defn: See Mulley.
MULIEBRITY Mu`li*eb"ri*ty, n. Etym: [L. muliebritas, fr. muliebris belonging to a woman, fr. mulier a woman.]
1. The state of being a woman or of possessing full womanly powers; womanhood; — correlate of virility.
2. Hence: Effeminancy; softness.
MULIER
Mu"li*er, n. Etym: [L., a woman.]
1. A woman.
2. (Law) (a) Lawful issue born in wedlock, in distinction from an elder brother born of the same parents before their marriage; a lawful son. (b) (Civ. Law) A woman; a wife; a mother. Blount. Cowell.
MULIERLY
Mu"li*er*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner or condition of a mulier; in wedlock; legitimately. [Obs.]
MULIEROSE
Mu"li*er*ose`, a. Etym: [L. mulierosus.]
Defn: Fond of woman. [R.] Charles Reade.
MULIEROSITY
Mu`li*er*os"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mulierositas.]
Defn: A fondness for women. [R.] Dr. H. More.
MULIERTY
Mu"li*er*ty, n. (Law)
Defn: Condition of being a mulier; position of one born in lawful wedlock.
MULISH
Mul"ish, a.
Defn: Like a mule; sullen; stubborn.
— Mul"ish*ly, adv.
— Mul"ish*ness, n.
MULL
Mull, n. Etym: [Perh. contr. fr. mossul. See Muslin.]
Defn: A thin, soft kind of muslin.
MULL
Mull, n. Etym: [Icel. m a snout, muzzle, projecting crag; or cf. Ir.
& Gael. meall a heap of earth, a mound, a hill or eminence, W. moel.
Cf. Mouth.]
1. A promontory; as, the Mull of Cantyre. [Scot.]
2. A snuffbox made of the small end of a horn.
MULL
Mull, n. Etym: [Prob. akin to mold. *108. See Mold.]
Defn: Dirt; rubbish. [Obs.] Gower.
MULL
Mull, v. t. Etym: [OE. mullen. See 2d Muller.]
Defn: To powder; to pulverize. [Prov. Eng.]
MULL
Mull, v. i.
Defn: To work (over) mentally; to cogitate; to ruminate; — usually with over; as, to mull over a thought or a problem. [Colloq. U.S.]
MULL
Mull, n.
Defn: An inferior kind of madder prepared from the smaller roots or the peelings and refuse of the larger.
MULL
Mull, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mulled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mulling.] Etym:
[From mulled, for mold, taken as a p.p.; OE. mold-ale funeral ale or
banquet. See Mold soil.]
1. To heat, sweeten, and enrich with spices; as, to mull wine. New cider, mulled with ginger warm. Gay.
2. To dispirit or deaden; to dull or blunt. Shak.
MULLA
Mul"la, n.
Defn: Same as Mollah.
MULLAGATAWNY
Mul`la*ga*taw"ny, n. Etym: [Tamil milagu-tannir pepper water.]
Defn: An East Indian curry soup.
MULLAH
Mul"lah, n.
Defn: See Mollah.
MULLAR
Mul"lar, n.
Defn: A die, cut in intaglio, for stamping an ornament in relief, as upon metal.
MULLEIN
Mul"lein, n. Etym: [OE. moleyn, AS. molegn.] (Bot.)
Defn: Any plant of the genus Verbascum. They are tall herbs having coarse leaves, and large flowers in dense spikes. The common species, with densely woolly leaves, is Verbascum Thapsus. Moth mullein. See under Moth. — Mullein foxglove, an American herb (Seymeria macrophylla) with coarse leaves and yellow tubular flowers with a spreading border. — Petty mullein, the cowslip. Dr. Prior.
MULLEN
Mul"len, n. (Bot.)
Defn: See Mullein.
MULLER
Mull"er, n.
1. One who, or that which, mulls.
2. A vessel in which wine, etc., is mulled over a fire.
MULLER Mull"er, n. Etym: [OE. mullen to pulverize, bruise; cf. Icel. mylja; prob. akin to E. mold soil. See Mold soil, and cf. Mull dirt.]
Defn: A stone or thick lump of glass, or kind of pestle, flat at the bottom, used for grinding pigments or drugs, etc., upon a slab of similar material.
MULLERIAN; MUELLERIAN
Mül*le"ri*an, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or discovered by, Johannes Müller. Müllerian ducts (Anat.), a pair of embryonic ducts which give rise to the genital passages in the female, but disappear in the male. — Müllerian fibers (Anat.), the sustentacular or connective-tissue fibers which form the framework of the retina.
MULLET
Mul"let, n. Etym: [OE. molet, mulet, F. mulet, fr. L. mullus.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous fishes of the genus Mugil; — called also gray mullets. They are found on the coasts of both continents, and are highly esteemed as food. Among the most valuable species are Mugil capito of Europe, and M. cephalus which occurs both on the European and American coasts.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any species of the genus Mullus, or family Mullidæ; called also red mullet, and surmullet, esp. the plain surmullet (Mullus barbatus), and the striped surmullet (M. surmulletus) of Southern Europe. The former is the mullet of the Romans. It is noted for the brilliancy of its colors. See Surmullet. French mullet. See Ladyfish (a).
MULLET
Mul"let, n. Etym: [F. molette.] (Her.)
Defn: A star, usually five pointed and pierced; — when used as a difference it indicates the third son.
MULLET
Mul"let, n. Etym: [Cf. F. molet a sort of pinchers.]
Defn: Small pinchers for curling the hair. [Obs.] B. Jonson.
MULLEY; MOOLLEY Mul"ley, Mool"ley, n. Etym: [CF. Gael. maolag a hornless cow, maol bald, hornless, blunt.]
1. A mulley or polled animal. [U. S.]
2. A cow. [Prov. Eng.; U.S., a child's word.] Leave milking and dry up old mulley, thy cow. Tusser.
MULLEY; MOOLLEY
Mul"ley, Mool"ley, a.
Defn: Destitute of horns, although belonging to a species of animals most of which have horns; hornless; polled; as, mulley cattle; a mulley (or moolley) cow. [U. S.] [Written also muley.]
MULLIGATAWNY
Mul`li*ga*taw"ny, n.
Defn: See Mullagatawny.
MULLIGRUBS Mul"li*grubs, n. Etym: [Cf. Prov. E. mull to squeeze, pull about, mulling numb or dull.]
1. A griping of the intestines; colic. [Slang] Whose dog lies sick of the mulligrubs Beau. & Fl.
2. Hence, sullenness; the sulks. [Slang]
MULLINGONG
Mul"lin*gong, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Duck mole, under Duck. [Written also mollingong.]
MULLION Mul"lion, n. Etym: [A corruption of munnion, F. moignon stump of an amputated limb, stump, OF. moing mutilated; cf. Armor. moñ, mouñ, mank, monk, and also L. mancus maimed.] (Arch.) (a) A slender bar or pier which forms the division between the lights of windows, screens, etc. (b) An upright member of a framing. See Stile.
MULLION
Mul"lion, v. t.
Defn: To furnish with mullions; to divide by mullions.
MULLOCK Mul"lock, n. Etym: [From Mull dirt: cf. Scot. mulloch, mulock, crumb. *108.]
Defn: Rubbish; refuse; dirt. [Obs.]
All this mullok [was] in a sieve ythrowe. Chaucer.
MULLOID Mul"loid, a. Etym: [NL. Mullus, generic name (fr. L. mullus surmullet) + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Mullus, which includes the surmullet, or red mullet.
MULMUL
Mul"mul, n.
Defn: A fine, soft muslin; mull.
MULSE Mulse, n. Etym: [L. mulsum (sc. vinum), fr. mulsus mixed with honey, honey-sweet, p.p. of mulcere to sweeten, soften.]
Defn: Wine boiled and mingled with honey.
MULT-
Mult-.
Defn: See Multi-.
MULTANGULAR Mul*tan"gu*lar, a. Etym: [L. multangulus; multus much, many + angulus angle: cf. F. multangulaire.]
Defn: Having many angles.
— Mul*tan"gu*lar*ly, adv.
— Mul*tan"gu*lar*ness, n.
MULTANIMOUS
Mul*tan"i*mous, a. Etym: [Mult- + L. animus mind.]
Defn: Many-minded; many-sided.
The multanimous nature of the poet. J. R. Lowell.
MULTARTICULATE
Mul`tar*tic"u*late, a. Etym: [Mult- + articulate.]
Defn: Having many articulations or joints.
MULTEITY
Mul*te"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. multus much, many.]
Defn: Multiplicity. [R.] Coleridge.
MULTI-; MULT-
Mul"ti-, Mult-. Etym: [L. multus much.]
Defn: A prefix signifying much or many; several; more than one; as, multiaxial, multocular.
MULTIAXIAL
Mul`ti*ax"i*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + axial.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having more than one axis; developing in more than a single line or plain; — opposed to Ant: monoaxial.
MULTICAPSULAR Mul`ti*cap"su*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + capsular: cf. F. multicapsulaire.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many, or several, capsules.
MULTICARINATE
Mul`ti*car"i*nate, a. Etym: [Multi- + carinate.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Many-keeled.
MULTICAVOUS Mul`ti*ca"vous, a. Etym: [L. multicavus; multus much, many + cavum, cavus, a cavity, hole, fr. cavus hollow.]
Defn: Having many cavities.
MULTICELLULAR
Mul`ti*cel"lu*lar, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or having, many cells or more than one cell.
MULTICENTRAL
Mul`ti*cen"tral, a. Etym: [Multi- + central.]
Defn: Having many, or several, centers; as, a multicentral cell. Multicental development (Biol.), growth, or development, from several centers. According as the insubordination to a single center is more or less pronounced, the resultant organism will be more or less irregular in form and may even discontinuous.
MULTICIPITAL
Mul`ti*cip"i*tal, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. caput head.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many heads or many stems from one crown or root. Gray.
MULTICOLOR
Mul"ti*col`or, a. Etym: [See Multi-, and Color.]
Defn: Having many, or several, colors.
MULTICOSTATE
Mul`ti*cos"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + costate.]
Defn: Having numerous ribs, or costæ, as the leaf of a plant, or as certain shells and corals.
MULTICUSPID
Mul`ti*cus"pid, a. Etym: [See Multi-, and Cuspid.]
Defn: Multicuspidate; — said of teeth.
MULTICUSPIDATE
Mul`ti*cus"pi*date, a. Etym: [Multi- + cuspidate.]
Defn: Having many cusps or points.
MULTIDENTATE
Mul`ti*den"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + dentate.]
Defn: Having many teeth, or toothlike processes.
MULTIDIGITATE
Mul`ti*dig"i*tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + digitate.]
Defn: Having many fingers, or fingerlike processes.
MULTIFACED
Mul"ti*faced`, a. Etym: [Multi- + face.]
Defn: Having many faces.
MULTIFARIOUS
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous, a. Etym: [L. multifarius; multus much, many. Cf.
Bifarious.]
1. Having multiplicity; having great diversity or variety; of various kinds; diversified; made up of many differing parts; manifold. There is a multifarious artifice in the structure of the meanest animal. Dr. H. More.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Having parts, as leaves, arranged in many vertical rows.
MULTIFARIOUSLY
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: With great multiplicity and diversity; with variety of modes and relations.
MULTIFARIOUSNESS
Mul`ti*fa"ri*ous*ness, n.
1. Multiplied diversity.
2. (Law)
Defn: The fault of improperly uniting in one bill distinct and independent matters, and thereby confounding them. Burrill.
MULTIFEROUS Mul*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. multifer; multus much, many + ferre to bear.]
Defn: Bearing or producing much or many. [R.]
MULTIFID Mul"ti*fid, a. Etym: [L. multifidus; multus much, many + findere to split: cf. F. multifide.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many segments; cleft into several parts by linear sinuses; as, a multifid leaf or corolla.
MULTIFLOROUS Mul`ti*flo"rous, a. Etym: [L. multiflorus; multus much, many + flos, floris, flower: cf. F. multiflore.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many flowers.
MULTIFLUE
Mul"ti*flue, a. Etym: [Multi- + flue.]
Defn: Having many flues; as, a multiflue boiler. See Boiler.
MULTIFOIL
Mul"ti*foil, n. Etym: [Multi- + foil.] (Arch.)
Defn: An ornamental foliation consisting of more than five divisions or foils. [R.] See Foil.
MULTIFOIL
Mul"ti*foil, a.
Defn: Having more than five divisions or foils.
MULTIFOLD
Mul"ti*fold, a. Etym: [Multi- + fold.]
Defn: Many times doubled; manifold; numerous.
MULTIFORM Mul"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. multiformis; multus much, many + forma shape: cf. F. multiforme.]
Defn: Having many forms, shapes, or appearances.
A plastic and multiform unit. Hare.
MULTIFORMITY
Mul`ti*form"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. multiformitas.]
Defn: The quality of being multiform; diversity of forms; variety of appearances in the same thing. Purchas.
MULTIFORMOUS
Mul`ti*form"ous, a.
Defn: Multiform. [Obs.]
MULTIGENEROUS Mul`ti*gen"er*ous, a. Etym: [L. multigenerus; multus + genus, generis, kind.]
Defn: Having many kinds.
MULTIGRANULATE
Mul`ti*gran"u*late, a. Etym: [Multi- + granulate.]
Defn: Having, or consisting of, many grains.
MULTIGRAPH
Mul"ti*graph, n. [Multi- + -graph.]
Defn: A combined rotary type-setting and printing machine for office use. The type is transferred semi-automatically by means of keys from a type-supply drum to a printing drum. The printing may be done by means of an inked ribbon to print "typewritten" letters, or directly from inked type or a stereotype plate, as in a printing press.
MULTIJUGATE
Mul*tij"u*gate, a.
Defn: Having many pairs of leaflets.
MULTIJUGOUS
Mul*tij"u*gous, a. Etym: [L. multijugus; multus + jugum yoke.]
1. Consisting of many parts.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: Same as Multijugate.
MULTILATERAL
Mul`ti*lat"er*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + lateral.]
Defn: Having many sides; many-sided.
MULTILINEAL
Mul`ti*lin"e*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + lineal.]
Defn: Having many lines. Steevens.
MULTILOBAR
Mul`ti*lo"bar, a. Etym: [Multi- + lobar.]
Defn: Consisting of, or having, many lobes.
MULTILOCULAR
Mul`ti*loc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + locular: cf. F. multiloculaire.]
Defn: Having many or several cells or compartments; as, a multilocular shell or capsule.
MULTILOQUENCE
Mul*til"o*quence, n.
Defn: Quality of being multiloquent; use of many words; talkativeness.
MULTILOQUENT; MULTILOQUOUS Mul*til"o*quent, Mul*til"o*quous, a. Etym: [L. multiloquus; multus much, many + loqui to speak.]
Defn: Speaking much; very talkative; loquacious.
MULTILOQUY
Mul*til"o*quy, n. Etym: [L. multiloquium.]
Defn: Excess of words or talk. [R.]
MULTINODATE
Mul`ti*no"date, a. Etym: [Multi- + nodate.]
Defn: Having many knots or nodes.
MULTINODOUS
Mul`ti*no"dous, a. Etym: [L. multinodus.]
Defn: Same as Multinodate.
MULTINOMIAL
Mul`ti*no"mi*al, n. & a. Etym: [Multi- + -nomial, as in binomial. See
Binomial.] (Alg.)
Defn: Same as Polynomial.
MULTINOMINAL; MULTINOMINOUS Mul`ti*nom"i*nal, Mul`ti*nom"i*nous, a. Etym: [L. multinominis; multus many + nomen nominis name.]
Defn: Having many names or terms.
MULTINUCLEAR
Mul`ti*nu"cle*ar, a. Etym: [Multi- + nuclear.] (Biol.)
Defn: Containing many nuclei; as, multinuclear cells.
MULTINUCLEATE; MULTINUCLEATED
Mul`ti*nu"cle*ate, Mul`ti*nu"cle*a`ted, a. (Biol.)
Defn: Multinuclear.
MULTIPAROUS Mul*tip"a*rous, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. parere to produce: cf. F. multipare.]
Defn: Producing many, or more than one, at a birth.
MULTIPARTITE Mul*tip"ar*tite, a. Etym: [L. multipartitus multus much, many partitus divided, p.p.: cf. F. multipartite. See Partite.]
Defn: Divided into many parts; having several parts.
MULTIPED Mul"ti*ped, n. Etym: [L. multipes, multipeda; multus much, many + pes, pedis, foot: cf. F. multipède.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An insect having many feet, as a myriapod.
MULTIPED
Mul"ti*ped, a.
Defn: Having many feet.
MULTIPHASE
Mul"ti*phase, a. [Multi- + phase.]
Defn: Having many phases; specif. (Elec.),
Defn: pertaining to, or designating, a generator producing, or any system conveying or utilizing, two or more waves of pressure, or electromotive force, not in phase with each other; polyphase.
MULTIPLANE
Mul"ti*plane, a.
Defn: Having several or many planes or plane surfaces; as, a multiplane kite.
MULTIPLANE
Mul"ti*plane, n. [Multi- + plane.] (Aëronautics)
Defn: An aëroplane with three or more superposed main planes.
MULTIPLE Mul"ti*ple, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multiple, and E. quadruple, and multiply.]
Defn: Containing more than once, or more than one; consisting of more than one; manifold; repeated many times; having several, or many, parts. Law of multiple proportion (Chem.), the generalization that when the same elements unite in more than one proportion, forming two or more different compounds, the higher proportions of the elements in such compounds are simple multiplies of the lowest proportion, or the proportions are connected by some simple common factor; thus, iron and oxygen unite in the proportions FeO, Fe2O3, Fe3O4, in which compounds, considering the oxygen, 3 and 4 are simple multiplies of 1. Called also the Law of Dalton, from its discoverer. — Multiple algebra, a branch of advanced mathematics that treats of operations upon units compounded of two or more unlike units. — Multiple conjugation (Biol.), a coalescence of many cells (as where an indefinite number of amoeboid cells flow together into a single mass) from which conjugation proper and even fertilization may have been evolved. — Multiple fruits. (Bot.) See Collective fruit, under Collective. — Multiple star (Astron.), several stars in close proximity, which appear to form a single system.
MULTIPLE
Mul"ti*ple, n. (Math.)
Defn: A quantity containing another quantity a number of times without a remainder.
Note: A common multiple of two or more numbers contains each of them a number of times exactly; thus, 24 is a common multiple of 3 and 4. The least common multiple is the least number that will do this; thus, 12 is the least common multiple of 3 and 4.
MULTIPLEX
Mul"ti*plex, a. Etym: [L. multiplex, -plicis. See Multiply.]
Defn: Manifold; multiple.
MULTIPLIABLE
Mul"ti*pli`a*ble, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multipliable.]
Defn: Capable of being multiplied.
— Mul"ti*pli`a*ble*ness, n.
MULTIPLICABLE
Mul"ti*pli*ca*ble, a. Etym: [L. multiplicabilis.]
Defn: Capable of being multiplied; multipliable.
MULTIPLICAND
Mul"ti*pli*cand`, n. Etym: [L. multiplicandus to be multiplied: cf.
F. multiplicande.] (Math.)
Defn: The number which is to be multiplied by another number called the multiplier. See Note under Multiplication.
MULTIPLICATE
Mul"ti*pli*cate, a. Etym: [L. multiplicatus, p.p. of multiplicare.
See Multiply.]
Defn: Consisting of many, or of more than one; multiple; multifold. Multiplicate flower (Bot.), a flower that is double, or has an unusual number of petals in consequence of the abnormal multiplication of the parts of the floral whorls.
MULTIPLICATION Mul`ti*pli*ca"tion, n. Etym: [L. multiplicatio: cf. F. multiplication. See Multiply.]
1. The act or process of multiplying, or of increasing in number; the state of being multiplied; as, the multiplication of the human species by natural generation. The increase and multiplication of the world. Thackeray.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The process of repeating, or adding to itself, any given number or quantity a certain number of times; commonly, the process of ascertaining by a briefer computation the result of such repeated additions; also, the rule by which the operation is performed; — the reverse of division.
Note: The word multiplication is sometimes used in mathematics, particularly in multiple algebra, to denote any distributive operation expressed by one symbol upon any quantity or any thing expressed by another symbol. Corresponding extensions of meaning are given to the words multiply, multiplier, multiplicand, and product. Thus, since f(x + y) = fx + fy (see under Distributive), where f(x + y), fx, and fy indicate the results of any distributive operation represented by the symbol f upon x + y, x, and y, severally, then because of many very useful analogies f(x + y) is called the product of f and x + y, and the operation indicated by f is called multiplication. Cf. Facient, n., 2.
3. (Bot.)
Defn: An increase above the normal number of parts, especially of petals; augmentation.
4. The art of increasing gold or silver by magic, — attributed formerly to the alchemists. [Obs.] Chaucer. Multiplication table, a table giving the product of a set of numbers multiplied in some regular way; commonly, a table giving the products of the first ten or twelve numbers multiplied successively by 1, 2, 3, etc., up to 10 or 12.
MULTIPLICATIVE
Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive, a. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplicatif.]
Defn: Tending to multiply; having the power to multiply, or incease numbers.
MULTIPLICATIVELY
Mul"ti*pli*ca*tive*ly, adv.
Defn: So as to multiply.
MULTIPLICATOR
Mul"ti*pli*ca`tor, n. Etym: [L.: cf. F. multiplicateur. Cf.
Multiplier.]
Defn: The number by which another number is multiplied; a multiplier.
MULTIPLICIOUS
Mul`ti*pli"cious, a. Etym: [See Multiplex.]
Defn: Manifold. [Obs.]
MULTIPLICITY
Mul`ti*plic"ity, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplicité.]
Defn: The quality of being multiple, manifold, or various; a state of being many; a multitude; as, a multiplicity of thoughts or objects. "A multiplicity of goods." South.
MULTIPLIER
Mul"ti*pli`er, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multiplier. Cf. Multiplicator.]
1. One who, or that which, multiplies or increases number.
2. (Math.)
Defn: The number by which another number is multiplied. See the Note under Multiplication.
3. (Physics)
Defn: An instrument for multiplying or increasing by repetition or accumulation the intensity of a force or action, as heat or electricity. It is particularly used to render such a force or action appreciable or measurable when feeble. See Thermomultiplier.
MULTIPLY
Mul"ti*ply, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Multiplied; p. pr. & vb. n.
Multiplying.] Etym: [F. multiplier, L. multiplicare, fr. multiplex
manifold. See Multitude, Complex.]
1. To increase in number; to make more numerous; to add quantity to. Impunity will multiply motives to disobedience. Ames.
2. (Math.)
Defn: To add (any given number or quantity) to itself a certain number of times; to find the product of by multiplication; thus 7 multiplied by 8 produces the number 56; to multiply two numbers. See the Note under Multiplication.
3. To increase (the amount of gold or silver) by the arts of alchemy. [Obs.] Multiplying gear (Mach.), gear for increasing speed. — Multiplying lens. (Opt.) See under Lens.
MULTIPLY
Mul"ti*ply, v. i.
1. To become greater in number; to become numerous. When men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them. Gen. vi. 1.
2. To increase in extent and influence; to spread. The word of God grew and multiplied. Acts xii. 24.
3. To increase amount of gold or silver by the arts of alchemy. [Obs.] Chaucer.
MULTIPOLAR
Mul`ti*po"lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + polar.] (Biol.)
Defn: Having many poles; — applied especially to those ganglionic nerve cells which have several radiating processes.
MULTIPOTENT Mul*tip"o*tent, a. Etym: [L. multipotens; multus much + potens powerful. See Potent.]
Defn: Having manifold power, or power to do many things. "Jove multipotent." Shak.
MULTIPRESENCE
Mul`ti*pres"ence, n.
Defn: The state or power of being multipresent.
The multipresence of Christ's body. Bp. Hall.
MULTIPRESENT
Mul`ti*pres"ent, a. Etym: [Multi- + present, a.]
Defn: Being, or having the power to be, present in two or more places at once.
MULTIRADIATE
Mul`ti*ra"di*ate, a. Etym: [Multi- + radiate.]
Defn: Having many rays.
MULTIRAMIFIED
Mul`ti*ram"i*fied, a. Etym: [Multi- + p.p. of ramify.]
Defn: Divided into many branches.
MULTIRAMOSE
Mul`ti*ra*mose", a. Etym: [Multi- + ramose.]
Defn: Having many branches.
MULTISCIOUS Mul*tis"cious, a. Etym: [L. multiscius; multus much + scius knowing, fr. scire to know.]
Defn: Having much or varied knowledge. [Obs.]
MULTISECT
Mul"ti*sect, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. sectus, p.p. of secare to cut.]
(Zoöl.)
Defn: Divided into many similar segments; — said of an insect or myriapod.
MULTISEPTATE
Mul`ti*sep"tate, a. Etym: [Multi- + septate.] (Bot.)
Defn: Divided into many chambers by partitions, as the pith of the pokeweed.
MULTISERIAL
Mul`ti*se"ri*al, a. Etym: [Multi- + serial.] (Bot.)
Defn: Arranged in many rows, or series, as the scales of a pine cone, or the leaves of the houseleek.
MULTISILIQUOUS
Mul`ti*sil"i*quous, a. Etym: [Multi- + siliquious.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having many pods or seed vessels.
MULTISONOUS Mul*tis"o*nous, a. Etym: [L. multisonus; multus much, many + sonus sound.]
Defn: Having many sounds, or sounding much.
MULTISPIRAL
Mul`ti*spi"ral, a. Etym: [Multi- + spiral.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having numerous spiral coils round a center or nucleus; — said of the opercula of certain shells.
MULTISTRIATE
Mul`ti*stri"ate, a. Etym: [Multi- + striate.]
Defn: Having many streaks.
MULTISULCATE
Mul`ti*sul"cate, a. Etym: [Multi- + sulcate.]
Defn: Having many furrows.
MULTISYLLABLE
Mul"ti*syl`la*ble, n. Etym: [Multi- + syllable.]
Defn: A word of many syllables; a polysyllable. [R.] —
Mul`ti*syl*lab"ic, a.
MULTITITULAR
Mul`ti*tit"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + titular.]
Defn: Having many titles.
MULTITUBULAR
Mul`ti*tu"bu*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + tubular.]
Defn: Having many tubes; as, a multitubular boiler.
MULTITUDE Mul"ti*tude, n. Etym: [F. multitude, L. multitudo, multitudinis, fr. multus much, many; of unknown origin.]
1. A great number of persons collected together; a numerous collection of persons; a crowd; an assembly. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them. Matt. ix. 36.
2. A great number of persons or things, regarded collectively; as, the book will be read by a multitude of people; the multitude of stars; a multitude of cares. It is a fault in a multitude of preachers, that they uttery neglect method in their harangues. I. Watts. A multitude of flowers As countless as the stars on high. Longfellow.
3. The state of being many; numerousness. They came as grasshoppers for multitude. Judg. vi. 5. The multitude, the populace; the mass of men.
Syn. — Throng; crowd; assembly; assemblage; commonalty; swarm; populace; vulgar. See Throng.
MULTITUDINARY
Mul`ti*tu"di*na*ry, a.
Defn: Multitudinous.
MULTITUDINOUS
Mul`ti*tu"di*nous, a.
1. Consisting of a multitude; manifold in number or condition; as, multitudinous waves. "The multitudinous seas." Shak. A renewed jingling of multitudinous chains. G. Kennan.
2. Of or pertaining to a multitude. "The multitudinous tongue." Shak.
— Mul`ti*tu"di*nous*ly, adv.
— Mul`ti*tu"di*nous*ness, n.
MULTIVAGANT; MULTIVAGOUS Mul*tiv"a*gant, Mul*tiv"a*gous, a. Etym: [L. multivagus; multus much + vagus wandering; cf. vagans, p.pr. of vagari. See Vagary.]
Defn: Wandering much. [Obs.]
MULTIVALENCE
Mul*tiv"a*lence, n. (Chem.)
Defn: Quality, state, or degree, of a multivalent element, atom, or radical.
MULTIVALENT Mul*tiv"a*lent, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. valens, p. pr. See Valence.] (Chem.) (a) Having a valence greater than one, as silicon. (b) Having more than one degree of valence, as sulphur.
MULTIVALVE
Mul"ti*valve, n. Etym: [Cf. F. multivalve.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any mollusk which has a shell composed of more than two pieces.
MULTIVALVE; MULTIVALVULAR Mul"ti*valve, Mul`ti*val"vu*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + valve, valvular: cf. F. multivalve.]
1. Having many valves.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Many-valved; having more than two valves; — said of certain shells, as the chitons.
MULTIVERSANT
Mul*tiv"er*sant, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. versans, p. pr. See Versant.]
Defn: Turning into many shapes; assuming many forms; protean.
MULTIVIOUS
Mul*tiv"i*ous, a. & adv. Etym: [L. multivius; multus many + via way.]
Defn: Having many ways or roads; by many ways. [Obs.]
MULTIVOCAL
Mul*tiv"o*cal, a. Etym: [Multi- + vocal.]
Defn: Signifying many different things; of manifold meaning; equivocal. "An ambiguous multivocal word." Coleridge. — n.
Defn: A multivocal word. [R.] Fitzed. Hall.
MULTOCULAR
Mul*toc"u*lar, a. Etym: [Multi- + L. oculus eye.]
Defn: Having many eyes, or more than two.
MULTUM
Mul"tum, n.
Defn: An extract of quassia licorice, fraudulently used by brewers in order to economize malt and hops. Craig. Hard multum, a preparation made from Cocculus Indicus, etc., used to impart an intoxicating quality to beer.
MULTUNGULATE
Mul*tun"gu*late, a. Etym: [Multi- + ungulate.]
Defn: Having many hoofs.
MULTURE Mul"ture, n. Etym: [OF. multure, moulture, F. mouture, fr. L. molitura a grinding, molere to grind. See Mill the machine.]
1. (Scots Law)
Defn: The toll for grinding grain. Erskine.
2. A grist or grinding; the grain ground.
MUM
Mum, a. Etym: [Of imitative origin. Cf. Mumble.]
Defn: Silent; not speaking. Thackeray.
The citizens are mum, and speak not a word. Shak.
MUM
Mum, interj.
Defn: Be silent! Hush!
Mum, then, and no more. Shak.
MUM
Mum, n.
Defn: Silence. [R.] Hudibras.
MUM Mum, n. Etym: [G. mummere, fr. Christian Mumme, who first brewed it in 1492.]
Defn: A sort of strong beer, originally made in Brunswick, Germany.
Addison.
The clamorous crowd is hushed with mugs of mum. Pope.
MUMBLE
Mum"ble, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mumbled; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumbling.]
Etym: [OE. momelen; cf. D. mompelen, mommelen, G. mummelen, Sw.
mumla, Dan. mumle. Cf. Mum, a., Mumm, Mump, v.]
1. To speak with the lips partly closed, so as to render the sounds inarticulate and imperfect; to utter words in a grumbling indistinct manner, indicating discontent or displeasure; to mutter. Peace, you mumbling fool. Shak. A wrinkled hag, with age grown double, Picking dry sticks, and mumbling to herself. Otway.
2. To chew something gently with closed lips.
MUMBLE
Mum"ble, v. t.
1. To utter with a low, inarticulate voice. Bp. Hall.
2. To chew or bite gently, as one without teeth. Gums unarmed, to mumble meat in vain. Dryden.
3. To suppress, or utter imperfectly.
MUMBLENEWS
Mum"ble*news`, n.
Defn: A talebearer. [Obs.]
MUMBLER
Mum"bler, n.
Defn: One who mumbles.
MUMBLING
Mum"bling, a.
Defn: Low; indistinct; inarticulate.
— Mum"bling*ly, adv.
MUMBO JUMBO
Mum"bo Jum`bo.
Defn: An object of superstitious homage and fear. Carlyle.
The miserable Mumbo Jumbo they paraded. Dickens.
MUM-CHANCE
Mum"-chance`, n.
1. A game of hazard played with cards in silence. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.] Decker.
2. A silent, stupid person. [Prov. Eng.] Halliwell.
MUM-CHANCE
Mum"-chance`, a.
Defn: Silent and idle. [Colloq.]
Boys can't sit mum-chance always. J. H. Ewing.
MUMM Mumm, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mummed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumming.] Etym: [D. mimmen to mask, mom a mask; akin to G. mumme disguise; prob. of imitative origin, and akin to E. mum, mumble, in allusion to the indistinctness of speech occasioned by talking from behind a mask. Cf. Mumble, Mummery.]
Defn: To sport or make diversion in a mask or disguise; to mask.
With mumming and with masking all around. Spenser.
MUMMER
Mumm"er, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. mommeur. See Mumm, and cf. Momier.]
Defn: One who mumms, or makes diversion in disguise; a masker; a
buffon.
Jugglers and dancers, antics, mummers. Milton.
MUMMERY Mum"mer*y, n.; pl. Mummeries. Etym: [F. momerie, of Dutch or German origin. See Mumm.]
1. Masking; frolic in disguise; buffoonery. The mummery of foreign strollers. Fenton.
2. Farcical show; hypocritical disguise and parade or ceremonies. Bacon.
MUMMICHOG
Mum"mi*chog, n. Etym: [Amer. Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small American cyprinodont fishes of the genus Fundulus, and of allied genera; the killifishes; — called also minnow. [Written also mummychog, mummachog.]
MUMMIFICATION
Mum`mi*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [See Mummify.]
Defn: The act of making a mummy.
MUMMIFIED
Mum"mi*fied, a.
Defn: Converted into a mummy or a mummylike substance; having the appearance of a mummy; withered.
MUMMIFORM
Mum"mi*form, a. Etym: [Mummy + -form.]
Defn: Having some resemblance to a mummy; — in zoölogy, said of the pupæ of certain insects.
MUMMIFY
Mum"mi*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mummified; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mummifying.] Etym: [Mummy + -fy: cf. F. momifier.]
Defn: To embalm and dry as a mummy; to make into, or like, a mummy.
Hall (1646).
MUMMY Mum"my, n.; pl. Mummies. Etym: [F. momie; cf. Sp. & Pg. momia, It. mummia; all fr. Per. m, fr. m wax.]
1. A dead body embalmed and dried after the manner of the ancient Egyptians; also, a body preserved, by any means, in a dry state, from the process of putrefaction. Bacon.
2. Dried flesh of a mummy. [Obs.] Sir. J. Hill.
3. A gummy liquor that exudes from embalmed flesh when heated; — formerly supposed to have magical and medicinal properties. [Obs.] Shak. Sir T. Herbert.
4. A brown color obtained from bitumen. See Mummy brown (below).
5. (Gardening)
Defn: A sort of wax used in grafting, etc.
6. One whose affections and energies are withered. Mummy brown, a brown color, nearly intermediate in tint between burnt umber and raw umber. A pigment of this color is prepared from bitumen, etc., obtained from Egyptian tombs. — Mummy wheat (Bot.), wheat found in the ancient mummy cases of Egypt. No botanist now believes that genuine mummy wheat has been made to germinate in modern times. — To beat to a mummy, to beat to a senseless mass; to beat soundly.
MUMMY
Mum"my, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mummied; p. pr. & vb. n. Mummying.]
Defn: To embalm; to mummify.
MUMMYCHOG
Mum"my*chog, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mummichog.
MUMP
Mump, v. i. Etym: [Akin to mumble; cf. D. mompen to cheat; perh.
orig., to whine like a beggar, D. mompelen to mumble. See Mumble,
Mum, and cf. Mumps.]
1. To move the lips with the mouth closed; to mumble, as in sulkiness. He mumps, and lovers, and hangs the lip. Taylor, 1630.
2. To talk imperfectly, brokenly, or feebly; to chatter unintelligibly.
3. To cheat; to deceive; to play the beggar. And then when mumping with a sore leg, … canting and whining. Burke.
4. To be sullen or sulky. [Prov. Eng.]
MUMP
Mump, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mumped; p. pr. & vb. n. Mumping.]
1. To utter imperfectly, brokenly, or feebly. Old men who mump their passion. Goldsmith.
2. To work over with the mouth; to mumble; as, to mump food.
3. To deprive of (something) by cheating; to impose upon.
MUMPER
Mump"er, n.
Defn: A beggar; a begging impostor.
Deceived by the tales of a Lincoln's Inn mumper. Macaulay.
MUMPISH
Mump"ish, a.
Defn: Sullen, sulky.
— Mump"ish*ly, adv.
— Mump"ish*ness, n.
MUMPS
Mumps, n. Etym: [Prov. E. mump to be sulky. Cf. Mump, Mumble, and
Mum.]
1. pl.
Defn: Sullenness; silent displeasure; the sulks. Skinner.
2. Etym: [Prob. so called from the patient's appearance.] (Med.)
Defn: A specific infectious febrile disorder characterized by a nonsuppurative inflammation of the parotid glands; epidemic or infectious parotitis.
MUN
Mun, n. Etym: [See Mouth.]
Defn: The mouth. [Obs.] One a penny, two a penny, hot cross buns, Butter them and sugar them and put them in your muns. Old Rhyme. Halliwell.
MUNCH
Munch, v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Munched; p. pr. & vb. n. Munching.]
Etym: [Prob. akin to mumble: cf. also F. manger to eat (cf. Mange),
and mâcher to cher (cf. Masticate). See Mumble.]
Defn: To chew with a grinding, crunching sound, as a beast chews provender; to chew deliberately or in large mouthfuls. [Formerly written also maunch and mounch.] I could munch your good dry oats. Shak.
MUNCHAUSENISM
Mun*chau"sen*ism, n. Etym: [So called in allusion to Baron
Munchausen's extravagant tales of travel.]
Defn: An extravagant fiction embodying an account of some marvelous exploit or adventure.
MUNCHER
Munch"er, n.
Defn: One who munches.
MUND
Mund, n.
Defn: See Mun.
MUNDANE Mun"dane, a. Etym: [L. mundanus, fr. mundus the world, an implement, toilet adornments, or dress; cf. mundus, a., clean, neat, Skr. mansds to adorn, dress, mansdsa adornment. Cf. Monde, Mound in heraldry.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to the world; worldly; earthly; terrestrial;
as, the mundane sphere.
— Mun"dane*ly, adv.
The defilement of mundane passions. I. Taylor.
MUNDANITY
Mun*dan"i*ty, n.
Defn: Worldliness. [Obs.]
MUNDATION
Mun*da"tion, n. Etym: [L. mundatio, fr. mundare to make clean.]
Defn: The act of cleansing. [Obs.]
MUNDATORY
Mun"da*to*ry, a. Etym: [L. mundatorius.]
Defn: Cleansing; having power to cleanse. [Obs.]
MUNDIC
Mun"dic, n.
Defn: Iron pyrites, or arsenical pyrites; — so called by the Cornish miners.
MUNDIFICANT Mun*dif"i*cant, a. Etym: [L. mundificans, p.pr. of mundificare to make clean, fr. mundus clean + -ficare (in comp.) to make. See -fy.]
Defn: Serving to cleanse and heal. — n.
Defn: A mundificant ointment or plaster.
MUNDIFICATION
Mun`di*fi*ca"tion, n.
Defn: The act or operation of cleansing.
MUNDIFICATIVE
Mun*dif"i*ca*tive, a.
Defn: Cleansing.
— n.
Defn: A detergent medicine or preparation.
MUNDIFY
Mun"di*fy, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. mondifier, L. mundificare. See
Mundificant.]
Defn: To cleanse. [Obs.]
MUNDIL
Mun"dil, n.
Defn: A turban ornamented with an imitation of gold or silver embroidery.
MUNDIVAGANT Mun*div"a*gant, a. Etym: [L. mundus the world + vagans wandering, p.pr. of vagari. See Vagary.]
Defn: Wandering over the world. [R.]
MUNDUNGUS Mun*dun"gus, n. Etym: [Cf. Sp. mondongo paunch, tripe, black pudding.]
Defn: A stinking tobacco.
MUNERARY
Mu"ner*a*ry, a. Etym: [L. munerarius, from munus a gift.]
Defn: Having the nature of a gift. [Obs.]
MUNERATE Mu"ner*ate, v. t. Etym: [L. muneratus, p.p. of munerare to give, bestow, fr. munus a gift.]
Defn: To remunerate.
MUNERATION
Mu`ner*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. muneratio.]
Defn: Remuneration. [Obs.]
MUNG
Mung, n. Etym: [Hind. m.] (Bot.)
Defn: Green gram, a kind of pulse (Phaseolus Mungo), grown for food in British India. Balfour (Cyc. of India).
MUNGA
Mun"ga, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Bonnet monkey, under Bonnet.
MUNGCORN
Mung"corn`, n.
Defn: Same as Mangcorn.
MUNGO
Mun"go, n.
Defn: A fibrous material obtained by deviling rags or the remnants of woolen goods.
Note: Mungo properly signifies the disintegrated rags of woolen cloth, as distinguished from those of worsted, which form shoddy. The distinction is very commonly disregarded. Beck (Draper's Dict. ).
MUNGOOSE; MUNGOOS
Mun"goose, Mun"goos, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mongoose.
MUNGREL
Mun"grel, n. & a.
Defn: See Mongrel.
MUNICIPAL Mu*nic"i*pal, a. Etym: [L. municipalis, fr. municipium a town, particularly in Italy, which possessed the right of Roman citizenship, but was governed by its own laws, a free town, fr. municeps an inhabitant of a free town, a free citizen; munia official duties, functions + capere to take: cf. F. municipal. Cf. Immunity, and Capacoius.]
1. Of or pertaining to a city or a corporation having the right of administering local government; as, municipal rights; municipal officers.
2. Of or pertaining to a state, kingdom, or nation. Municipal law is properly defined to be a rule of civil conduct prescribed by the supreme power in a state. Blackstone.
MUNICIPALISM
Mu*nic"i*pal*ism, n.
Defn: Municipal condition.
MUNICIPALITY Mu*nic`i*pal"i*ty, n.; pl. Municipalities. Etym: [Cf. F. municipalité.]
Defn: A municipal district; a borough, city, or incorporated town or village.
MUNICIPALIZE
Mu*nic"i*pal*ize, v. t. [Municipal + -ize.]
Defn: To bring under municipal oversight or control; as, a municipalized industry.
London people are now determined to centralize and to municipalize
such services.
The Century.
MUNICIPALLY
Mu*nic"i*pal*ly, adv.
Defn: In a municipal relation or condition.
MUNIFIC
Mu*nif"ic, a. Etym: [See Munificent.]
Defn: Munificent; liberal. [Obs. or R.]
MUNIFICATE Mu*nif"i*cate, v. t. Etym: [L. munificatus, p.p. of munificare to present with a thing, fr. munificus. See Munificent.]
Defn: To enrich. [Obs.]
MUNIFICENCE
Mu*nif"i*cence, n. Etym: [Cf. L. munire to fortify.]
Defn: Means of defense; fortification. [Obs.] Spenser.
MUNIFICENCE
Mu*nif"i*cence, n. Etym: [L. munificentia: cf. F. munificence.]
Defn: The quality or state of being munificent; a giving or bestowing with extraordinary liberality; generous bounty; lavish generosity. The virtues of liberality and munificence. Addison.
Syn. — Benevolence; beneficence; liberality; generosity; bounty; bounteousness. See Benevolence.
MUNIFICENT Mu*nif"i*cent, a. Etym: [L. munificus; munus service, gift + -ficare (in comp.) to make. Cf. Immunity, -fy.]
Defn: Very liberal in giving or bestowing; lavish; as, a munificent
benefactor.
— Mu*nif"i*cent*ly, adv.
Syn.
— Bounteous; bountiful; liberal; generous.
MUNIFY
Mu"ni*fy, v. t. & i. Etym: [See Munificate.]
Defn: To prepare for defense; to fortify. [Obs.]
MUNIMENT
Mu"ni*ment, n. Etym: [L. munimentum, fr. munire to fortify. See
Munition.]
1. The act of supporting or defending. [Obs.]
2. That which supports or defends; stronghold; place or means of defense; munition; assistance. "Other muniments and petty helps." Shak.
3. (Law)
Defn: A record; the evidences or writings whereby a man is enabled to defend the title to his estate; title deeds and papers. Blount. Muniment house or room, that room in a cathedral, castle, or other public building, which is used for keeping the records, charters, seals, deeds, and the like. Gwilt.
MUNITE
Mu*nite", v. t. Etym: [L. munitus, p.p. of munire to wall, fortify.]
Defn: To fortify; to strengthen. [Obs.]
MUNITION Mu*ni"tion, n. Etym: [F., munition of war, L. munitio a fortifying, fortification, fr. munire to fortify, defend with a wall; cf. moenia walls, murus (for moirus) a wall, and Skr. mi to fix, make firm. Cf. Ammunition.]
1. Fortification; stronghold. [Obs.] His place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks. Is. xxxiii. 16.
2. Whatever materials are used in war for drfense or for annoying an enemy; ammunition; also, stores and provisions; military stores of all kinds. The bodies of men, munition, and money, may justly be called the sinews of war. Sir W. Raleigh.
MUNITY
Mu"ni*ty, n. Etym: [See Immunity.]
Defn: Freedom; security; immunity. [Obs.] W. Montagu.
MUNJEET
Mun*jeet", n. Etym: [Hind. majitsh a drug used for dyeing red.]
Defn: See Indian madder, under Madder.
MUNJISTIN
Mun"jis*tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: An orangered coloring substance resembling alizarin, found in the root of an East Indian species of madder (Rubia munjista).
MUNNION
Mun"nion, n.
Defn: See Mullion.
MUNTIN; MUNTING
Mun"tin, Mun"ting, n. Etym: [CF. Montant.] (Arch.)
Defn: Same as Mullion; — especially used in joiner's work.
MUNTJAC
Munt"jac, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of small Asiatic deer of the genus
Cervulus, esp. C. muntjac, which occurs both in India and on the East
Indian Islands. [Written also muntjak.]
MUNTZ METAL
Muntz" met`al.
Defn: See under Metal.
MURAENA
Mu*ræ"na, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of large eels of the family Mirænidæ. They differ from the common eel in lacking pectoral fins and in having the dorsal and anal fins continuous. The murry (Muræna Helenæ) of Southern Europe was the muræna of the Romans. It is highly valued as a food fish.
MURAENOID; MURENOID Mu*ræ"noid, Mu*re"noid, a. Etym: [NL. Muræna, the generic name + - oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the genus Muræna, or family Murænidæ.
MURAGE
Mu"rage, n. Etym: [F., fr. murer to wall, fr. mur wall, L. murus. See
Mure a wall.]
Defn: A tax or toll paid for building or repairing the walls of a fortified town.
MURAL Mu"ral, a. Etym: [F., fr. L. muralis, fr. murus wall. See Mure a wall.]
1. Of or pertaining to a wall; being on, or in, a wall; growing on, or against, a wall; as, a mural quadrant. "Mural breach." Milton. "Mural fruit." Evelyn.
2. Resembling a wall; perpendicular or steep; as, a mural precipice. Mural circle (Astron.), a graduated circle, in the plane of the meridian, attached permanently to a perpendicular wall; — used for measuring arcs of the meridian. See Circle, n., 3. — Mural crown (Rom. Antiq.), a golden crown, or circle of gold indented so as to resemble a battlement, bestowed on him who first mounted the wall of a besieged place, and there lodged a standard.
MURDER Mur"der, n. Etym: [OE. morder, morther, AS. moredhor, fr. moredh murder; akin to D. moord, OS. moredh, G., Dan., & Sw. mord, Icel. moredh, Goth. maúrþr, OSlav. mreti to die, Lith. mirti, W. marw dead, L. mors, mortis, death, mori, moriri, to die, Gr. broto`s (for mroto`s) mortal, 'a`mbrotos immortal, Skr. mrs to die, mrsta death. *105. Cf. Amaranth, Ambrosia, Mortal.]
Defn: The offense of killing a human being with malice prepense or aforethought, express or implied; intentional and unlawful homicide. "Mordre will out." Chaucer. The killing of their children had, in the account of God, the guilt of murder, as the offering them to idols had the guilt of idolatry. Locke. Slaughter grows murder when it goes too far. Dryden.
Note: Murder in the second degree, in most jurisdictions, is a malicious homicide committed without a specific intention to take life. Wharton.
MURDER
Mur"der, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Murdered; p. pr. & vb. n. Murdering.]
Etym: [OE. mortheren, murtheren, AS. myr; akin to OHG. murdiren,
Goth. maúr. See Murder, n.]
1. To kill with premediated malice; to kill (a human being) willfully, deliberately, and unlawfully. See Murder, n.
2. To destroy; to put an end to. [Canst thou] murder thy breath in middle of a word Shak.
3. To mutilate, spoil, or deform, as if with malice or cruelty; to mangle; as, to murder the king's English.
Syn.
— To kill; assassinate; slay. See Kill.
MURDERER
Mur"der*er, n.
1. One guilty of murder; a person who, in possession of his reason, unlawfully kills a human being with premeditated malice.
2. A small cannon, formerly used for clearing a ship's decks of boarders; — called also murdering piece. [Obs.]
MURDERESS
Mur"der*ess, n.
Defn: A woman who commits murder.
MURDERMENT
Mur"der*ment, n.
Defn: Murder. [Obs.] Farfax.
MURDEROUS
Mur"der*ous, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to murder; characterized by, or causing, murder or bloodshed; having the purpose or quality of murder; bloody; sanguinary; as, the murderous king; murderous rapine; murderous intent; a murderous assault. "Murderous coward." Shak. — Mur"der*ous*ly, adv.
Syn. — Bloody; sanguinary; bloodguilty; bloodthirsty; fell; savage; cruel.
MURDRESS
Mur"dress, n.
Defn: A battlement in ancient fortifications with interstices for firing through.
MURE
Mure, n. Etym: [L. murus; or F. mur, fr. L. murus. Cf. Munition.]
Defn: A wall. [Obs.] Shak.
MURE
Mure, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mured.] Etym: [F. murer, L. murare. See
Mure, n.]
Defn: To inclose in walls; to wall; to immure; to shut up. Spenser.
The five kings are mured in a cave. John. x. (Heading).
MURENGER
Mu"ren*ger, n.
Defn: One who had charge of the wall of a town, or its repairs.
MUREX
Mu"rex, n.; pl. Murices. Etym: [L., the purple fish.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine gastropods, having rough, and frequently spinose, shells, which are often highly colored inside; the rock shells. They abound in tropical seas.
MUREXAN
Mu*rex"an, n. Etym: [From Murexide.] (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous substance obtained from murexide, alloxantin, and other ureids, as a white, or yellowish, crystalline which turns red on exposure to the air; — called also uramil, dialuramide, and formerly purpuric acid.
MUREXIDE
Mu*rex"ide, n. Etym: [L. murex the purple fish, purple.] (Chem.)
Defn: A crystalline nitrogenous substance having a splendid dichroism, being green by reflected light and garnet-red by transmitted light. It was formerly used in dyeing calico, and was obtained in a large quantities from guano. Formerly called also ammonium purpurate.
MUREXOIN
Mu*rex"o*ïn, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A complex nitrogenous compound obtained as a scarlet crystalline substance, and regarded as related to murexide.
MURIATE
Mu"ri*ate, n. Etym: [See Muriatic.] (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of muriatic hydrochloric acid; a chloride; as, muriate of ammonia.
Note: This term, as also the word muriatic, was formerly applied to the chlorides before their true composition was understood, and while they were erroneously supposed to be compounds of an acid with an oxide. Muriate and muriatic are still occasionally used as commercial terms, but are obsolete in scientific language.
MURIATED
Mu"ri*a`ted, a.
1. Put in brine. Evelyn.
2. (Chem.)
Defn: Combined or impregnated with muriatic or hydrochloric acid.
3. (Photog.)
Defn: Prepared with chloride of silver through the agency of common salt.
MURIATIC
Mu`ri*at"ic, a. Etym: [L. muriaticus pickled, from muria brine: cf.
F. muriatique.] (Chem.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, sea salt, or from chlorine, one of the constituents of sea salt; hydrochloric. Muriatic acid, hydrochloric acid, HCl; — formerly called also marine acid, and spirit of salt. See hydrochloric, and the Note under Muriate.
MURIATIFEROUS
Mu`ri*a*tif"er*ous, a. Etym: [Muriatic + -ferous.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Producing muriatic substances or salt. [Obs.]
MURICATE; MURICATED Mu"ri*cate, Mu"ri*ca`ted, a. Etym: [L. muricatus, fr. murex a pointed rock or stone.]
Defn: Formed with sharp points; full of sharp points or of pickles; covered, or roughened, as a surface, with sharp points or excrescences.
MURICOID
Mu"ri*coid, a. Etym: [Murex + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Murex, or family Muricidæ.
MURICULATE
Mu*ric"u*late, a.
Defn: Minutely muricate.
MURIDE
Mu"ride, n. Etym: [L. muria brine.] (Old Chem.)
Defn: Bromine; — formerly so called from its being obtained from sea water.
MURIFORM
Mu"ri*form, a. Etym: [L. murus a wall + -form.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling courses of bricks or stones in squareness and regular arrangement; as, a muriform variety of cellular tissue.
MURINE
Mu"rine, a. Etym: [L. murinus, from mus, muris, mouse: cf. F. murin.]
(Zoöl.)
Defn: Pertaining to a family of rodents (Muridæ), of which the mouse is the type.
MURINE
Mu"rine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of a tribe of rodents, of which the mouse is the type.
MURINGER
Mu"rin*ger, n.
Defn: See Murenger. Jacob.
MURK
Murk, a. Etym: [See Murky.]
Defn: Dark; murky.
He can not see through the mantle murk. J. R. Drake.
MURK
Murk, n.
Defn: Darkness; mirk. [Archaic] Shak.
MURK
Murk, n.
Defn: The refuse of fruit, after the juice has been expressed; marc.
MURKILY
Murk"i*ly, adv.
Defn: Darkly; gloomily.
MURKINESS
Murk"i*ness, n.
Defn: The state of being murky.
MURKY Murk"y, a. [Compar. Murkier; superl. Murkiest.] Etym: [OE. mirke, merke, AS. myrce, mirce; akin to Icel. myrkr, Dan. & Sw. mörk.]
Defn: Dark; obscure; gloomy. "The murkiest den." Shak.
A murky deep lowering o'er our heads. Addison.
MURLINS
Mur"lins, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A seaweed. See Baddrelocks.
MURMUR
Mur"mur, n. Etym: [F. murmure: cf. L. murmur. CF. Murmur, v. i.]
1. A low, confused, and indistinct sound, like that of running water.
2. A complaint half suppressed, or uttered in a low, muttering voice. Chaucer. Some discontents there are, some idle murmurs. Dryden.
MURMUR
Mur"mur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Murmured; p. pr. & vb. n. Murmuring.]
Etym: [F. murmurer, L. murmurare, murmurari, fr. murmur murmur; cf.
Gr.marmara a rustling sound; prob. of imitative origin.]
1. To make a low continued noise, like the hum of bees, a stream of water, distant waves, or the wind in a forest. They murmured as doth a swarm of bees. Chaucer.
2. To utter complaints in a low, half-articulated voice; to feel or express dissatisfaction or discontent; to grumble; — often with at or against. "His disciples murmured at it." John vi. 61. And all the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron. Num. xiv. 2. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured. 1 Cor. x. 10.
MURMUR
Mur"mur, v. t.
Defn: To utter or give forth in low or indistinct words or sounds; as, to murmur tales. Shak. The people murmured such things concerning him. John vii. 32.
MURMURATION
Mur`mur*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. murmuratio.]
Defn: The act of murmuring; a murmur. [Obs.] Skelton.
MURMURER
Mur"mur*er, n.
Defn: One who murmurs.
MURMURING
Mur"mur*ing, a. & n.
Defn: Uttering murmurs; making low sounds; complaining.
— Mur"mur*ing*ly, adv.
MURMUROUS
Mur"mur*ous, a. Etym: [Cf. L. murmuriosus, OF. murmuros.]
Defn: Attended with murmurs; exciting murmurs or complaint; murmuring. [Archaic or Poetic] The lime, a summer home of murmurous wings. Tennyson.
MURNIVAL
Mur"ni*val, n. Etym: [Perh. fr. F. mornifle a game at cards.]
Defn: In the game of gleek, four cards of the same value, as four aces or four kings; hence, four of anything. [Obs.] [Written also mournival.]
MURPHY
Mur"phy, n.
Defn: A potato. [Humorous] Thackeray.
MURR
Murr, n. Etym: [Prob. abbrev. from murrain.]
Defn: A catarrh. [Obs.] Gascoigne.
MURRAIN Mur"rain, n. Etym: [OE. moreine, OF. morine, fr. OF. morir, murir, 8die, L. mori, moriri.] (Far.)
Defn: An infectious and fatal disease among cattle. Bacon. A murrain on you, may you be afflicted with a pestilent disease. Shak.
MURRAIN
Mur"rain, a.
Defn: Having, or afflicted with, murrain.
MURRAYIN
Mur"ray*in, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A glucoside found in the flowers of a plant (Murraya exotica) of South Asia, and extracted as a white amorphous slightly bitter substance.
MURRE
Murre, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of several species of sea birds of the genus Uria, or
Catarractes; a guillemot.
Note: The murres are allied to the auks, and are abundant on the northern coasts of Europe and America. They often breed in large communities on the projecting ledges of precipituous cliffs, laying one or two large eggs on the bare rocks.
MURRELET
Murre"let, n. Etym: [Murre + -let.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of several species of sea birds of the genera
Synthliboramphus and Brachyramphus, inhabiting the North Pacific.
They are closely related to the murres.
MURREY
Mur"rey, n. Etym: [OF. morée a dark red color, mor blackish brown,
fr. L. morum mulberry, blackberry, or fr. Maurus a Moor. Cf.
Mulberry, Moor, Morelle.]
Defn: A dark red color.
— a.
Defn: Of a dark red color. Bacon.
MURRHINE
Mur"rhine, a. Etym: [L. murrhinus, fr. murrha: cf. F. murrhin.]
Defn: Made of the stone or material called by the Romans murrha; — applied to certain costly vases of great beauty and delicacy used by the luxurious in Rome as wine cups; as, murrhine vases, cups, vessels. Murrhine glass, glassware made in imitation of murrhine vases and cups.
MURRION
Mur"ri*on, a. Etym: [See Murrain.]
Defn: Infected with or killed by murrain. [Obs.] Shak.
MURRION
Mur"ri*on, n.
Defn: A morion. See Morion.
MURRY
Mur"ry, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muræna.
MURTH
Murth, n. Etym: [Etymol. uncertain.]
Defn: Plenty; abundance. [Obs. or Prov. Eng.]
MURTHER
Mur"ther, n. & v.
Defn: Murder, n. & v. [Obs. or Prov.] "The treason of the murthering." Chaucer.
MURTHERER
Mur"ther*er, n.
Defn: A murderer. [Obs. or Prov.]
MURZA
Mur"za, n.
Defn: One of the hereditary nobility among the Tatars, esp. one of the second class.
Note: This word must not be confounded with the Persian Mirza, though perhaps of the same origin.
MUS
Mus, n.; pl. Mures. Etym: [L., a mouse.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small rodents, including the common mouse and rat.
MUSA
Mu"sa, n.; pl. Musæ. Etym: [NL., fr. Ar. mauz, mauza, banana.] (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of perennial, herbaceous, endogenous plants of great size, including the banana (Musa sapientum), the plantain (M. paradisiaca of Linnæus, but probably not a distinct species), the Abyssinian (M. Ensete), the Philippine Island (M. textilis, which yields Manila hemp), and about eighteen other species. See Illust. of Banana and Plantain.
MUSACEOUS
Mu*sa"ceous, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, plants of the genus Musa.
MUSAL
Mus"al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Muses, or to Poetry. [R.]
MUSANG
Mu*sang", n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small animal of Java (Paradoxirus fasciatus), allied to the civets. It swallows, but does not digest, large quantities of ripe coffee berries, thus serving to disseminate the coffee plant; hence it is called also coffee rat.
MUSAR
Mu"sar, n.
Defn: An itinerant player on the musette, an instrument formerly common in Europe.
MUSARD
Mu"sard, n. Etym: [F., fr. muser to loiter, trifle. See Muse, v. i.]
Defn: A dreamer; an absent-minded person. [Obs.] Rom. of R.
MUSCA
Mus"ca, n.; pl. Muscæ. Etym: [L., a fly.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of dipterous insects, including the common house fly, and numerous allied species.
Note: Formerly, a large part of the Diptera were included under the genus Musca.
2. (Astron.)
Defn: A small constellation situated between the Southern Cross and the Pole. Muscæ volitantes (. Etym: [L., flying flies.] (Med.) Specks or filaments apparently seen moving or glinding about in the field of vision. Their appearance is often a symptom of disease of the eye, or of disorder of the nervous system.
MUSCADEL Mus"ca*del`, n. Etym: [It. moscadello, moscatello, LL. muscatellum or muscadellum (sc. vinum), fr. muscatellus nutmeglike, dim. of muscatus smelling like musk, muscatum and muscata (sc. nux) nutmeg: cf. F. muscadelle, fr. Italian. See Musk and cf. Moschatel, Muscardin, Muscat, Nutmeg.]
Defn: See Muscatel, n.
Quaffed off the muscadel. Shak.
MUSCADINE
Mus"ca*dine, n. Etym: [See Muscadel.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several very different kinds of grapes, but in America used chiefly for the scuppernong, or southern fox grape, which is said to be the parent stock of the Catawba. See Grapevine.
2. (Bot.)
Defn: A fragrant and delicious pear.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muscardin. Northern muscadine (Bot.), a derivative of the northern fox grape, and scarcely an improvement upon it. — Royal muscadine (Bot.), a European grape of great value. Its berries are large, round, and of a pale amber color. Called also golden chasselas.
MUSCALES
Mus*ca"les, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. L. muscus moss.] (Bot.)
Defn: An old name for mosses in the widest sense, including the true mosses and also hepaticæ and sphagna.
MUSCALLONGE
Mus"cal*longe, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muskellunge.
MUSCARDIN Mus"car*din, n. Etym: [F., fr. muscadin a musk-scented lozenge, fr. muscade nutmeg, fr. L. muscus musk. See Muscadel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The common European dormouse; — so named from its odor.
[Written also muscadine.]
MUSCARDINE
Mus`car*dine", n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A disease which is very destructive to silkworms, and which sometimes extends to other insects. It is attended by the development of a fungus (provisionally called Botrytis bassiana). Also, the fungus itself.
MUSCARIFORM
Mus*car"i*form, a. Etym: [L. muscarium fly brush + -form.]
Defn: Having the form of a brush.
MUSCARIN
Mus*ca"rin, n. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A solid crystalline substance, C5H13NO2, found in the toadstool (Agaricus muscarius), and in putrid fish. It is a typical ptomaine, and a violent poison.
MUSCAT
Mus"cat, n. Etym: [F. See Muscadel.] (Bot.)
Defn: A name given to several varieties of Old World grapes, differing in color, size, etc., but all having a somewhat musky flavor. The muscat of Alexandria is a large oval grape of a pale amber color. [Written also muskat.]
MUSCATEL
Mus"ca*tel`, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or designating, or derived from, a muscat grapes or similar grapes; a muscatel grapes; muscatel wine, etc.
MUSCATEL
Mus"ca*tel`, n.
1. A common name for several varieties of rich sweet wine, made in Italy, Spain, and France.
2. pl.
Defn: Finest raisins, dried on the vine; "sun raisins." [Variously written moscatel, muscadel, etc.]
MUSCHELKALK
Musch"el*kalk`, n. Etym: [G., from muschel shell + kalk limestone.]
(Geol.)
Defn: A kind of shell limestone, whose strata form the middle one of the three divisions of the Triassic formation in Germany. See Chart, under Geology.
MUSCI
Mus"ci, n. pl. Etym: [L. muscus moss.] (Bot.)
Defn: An order or subclass of cryptogamous plants; the mosses. See
Moss, and Cryptogamia.
MUSCICAPINE
Mus*cic"a*pine, a. Etym: [L. musca a fly + capere to catch.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Muscicapidæ, a family of birds that includes the true flycatchers.
MUSCID
Mus"cid, n.
Defn: Any fly of the genus Musca, or family Muscidæ.
MUSCIFORM
Mus"ci*form, a. Etym: [Musca + -form.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the form or structure of flies of the genus Musca, or family Muscidæ.
MUSCIFORM
Mus"ci*form, a. Etym: [Muscus + -form.] (Bot.)
Defn: Having the appearance or form of a moss.
MUSCLE Mus"cle, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. musculus a muscle, a little mouse, dim. of mus a mouse. See Mouse, and cf. sense 3 (below).]
1. (Anat.) (a) An organ which, by its contraction, produces motion. See Illust. of Muscles of the Human Body, in Appendix. (b) The contractile tissue of which muscles are largely made up.
Note: Muscles are of two kinds, striated and nonstriated. The striated muscles, which, in most of the higher animals, constitute the principal part of the flesh, exclusive of the fat, are mostly under the control of the will, or voluntary, and are made up of great numbers of elongated fibres bound together into bundles and inclosed in a sheath of connective tissue, the perimysium. Each fiber is inclosed in a delicate membrane (the sarcolemma), is made up of alternate segments of lighter and darker material which give it a transversely striated appearance, and contains, scattered through its substance, protoplasmic nuclei, the so-called muscle corpuscles. The nonstriated muscles are involuntary. They constitute a large part of the walls of the alimentary canal, blood vessels, uterus, and bladder, and are found also in the iris, skin, etc. They are made up of greatly elongated cells, usually grouped in bundles or sheets.
2. Muscular strength or development; as, to show one's muscle by lifting a heavy weight. [Colloq.]
3. Etym: [AS. muscle, L. musculus a muscle, mussel. See above.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mussel. Muscle curve (Physiol.), contraction curve of a muscle; a myogram; the curve inscribed, upon a prepared surface, by means of a myograph when acted upon by a contracting muscle. The character of the curve represents the extent of the contraction.
MUSCLED
Mus"cled, a.
Defn: Furnished with muscles; having muscles; as, things well muscled.
MUSCLE READING
Mus"cle read`ing.
Defn: The art of making discriminations between objects of choice, of discovering the whereabouts of hidden objects, etc., by inference from the involuntary movements of one whose hand the reader holds or with whom he is otherwise in muscular contact.
MUSCLING
Mus"cling, n. (Fine Arts)
Defn: Exhibition or representation of the muscles. [R.] A good piece, the painters say, must have good muscling, as well as coloring and drapery. Shaftesbury.
MUSCOGEES
Mus*co"gees, n. pl.
Defn: See Muskogees.
MUSCOID
Mus"coid, a. Etym: [Muscus + -oid: cf. F. muscoide.] (Bot.)
Defn: Mosslike; resembling moss.
MUSCOID
Mus"coid, n. (Bot.)
Defn: A term formerly applied to any mosslike flowerless plant, with a distinct stem, and often with leaves, but without any vascular system.
MUSCOLOGY
Mus*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Muscus + -logy.]
Defn: Bryology.
MUSCOSITY
Mus*cos"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. muscosus mossy, fr. muscus moss.]
Defn: Mossiness. Jonhson.
MUSCOVADO Mus`co*va"do, a. Etym: [Corrupted fr. Sp. mascabado; cf. Pg. mascavado, F. moscouade, n., formerly also mascovade, It. mascavato.]
Defn: Pertaining to, or of the nature of, unrefined or raw sugar, obtained from the juice of the sugar cane by evaporating and draining off the molasses. Muscovado sugar contains impurities which render it dark colored and moist.
MUSCOVADO
Mus`co*va"do, n.
Defn: Unrefined or raw sugar.
MUSCOVITE
Mus"co*vite, n. Etym: [See Muscovy glass.]
1. A native or inhabitant of Muscovy or ancient Russia; hence, a Russian.
2. (Min.)
Defn: Common potash mica. See Mica.
MUSCOVY DUCK
Mus"co*vy duck`. Etym: [A corruption of musk duck.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A duck (Cairina moschata), larger than the common duck, often raised in poultry yards. Called also musk duck. It is native of tropical America, from Mexico to Southern Brazil.
MUSCOVY GLASS Mus"co*vy glass`. Etym: [From Muscovy, the old name of Russia: cf. F. verre de Moscovie.]
Defn: Mica; muscovite. See Mica.
MUSCULAR
Mus"cu*lar, a. Etym: [Cf. F. musculaire. See Muscle.]
1. Of or pertaining to a muscle, or to a system of muscles; consisting of, or constituting, a muscle or muscles; as, muscular fiber. Great muscular strength, accompanied by much awkwardness. Macaulay.
2. Performed by, or dependent on, a muscle or the muscles. "The muscular motion." Arbuthnot.
3. Well furnished with muscles; having well-developed muscles; brawny; hence, strong; powerful; vigorous; as, a muscular body or arm. Muscular Christian, one who believes in a part of religious duty to maintain a healthful and vigorous physical state. T. Hughes. — Muscular CHristianity. (a) The practice and opinion of those Christians who believe that it is a part of religious duty to maintain a vigorous condition of the body, and who therefore approve of athletic sports and exercises as conductive to good health, good morals, and right feelings in religious matters. T. Hughes. (b) An active, robust, and cheerful Christian life, as opposed to a meditative and gloomy one. C. Kingsley. — Muscular excitability (Physiol.), that property in virtue of which a muscle shortens, when it is stimulated; irritability. — Muscular sense (Physiol.), muscular sensibility; the sense by which we obtain knowledge of the condition of our muscles and to what extent they are contracted, also of the position of the various parts of our bodies and the resistance offering by external objects.
MUSCULARITY
Mus`cu*lar"i*ty, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being muscular. Grew.
MUSCULARIZE
Mus"cu*lar*ize, v. t.
Defn: To make muscular. Lowell.
MUSCULARLY
Mus"cu*lar*ly, adv.
Defn: In a muscular manner.
MUSCULATION
Mus`cu*la"tion, n. (Anat.)
Defn: The muscular system of an animal, or of any of its parts.
MUSCULATURE
Mus"cu*la*ture, n. Etym: [Cf. F. musculature.] (Anat.)
Defn: Musculation.
MUSCULE
Mus"cule, n. Etym: [L. musculus: cf. F. muscule.] (Mil.)
Defn: A long movable shed used by besiegers in ancient times in attacking the walls of a fortified town.
MUSCULIN
Mus"cu*lin, n. Etym: [L. musculus a muscle.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: See Syntonin.
MUSCULOCUTANEOUS
Mus`cu*lo*cu*ta"ne*ous, a. Etym: [L. musculus + E. cutaneous.]
(Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining both to muscles and skin; as, the musculocutaneous nerve.
MUSCULOPHRENIC
Mus`cu*lo*phren"ic, a. Etym: [L. musculus muscle + E. phrenic.]
(Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to the muscles and the diaphragm; as, the musculophrenic artery.
MUSCULOSITY
Mus`cu*los"i*ty, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musculous; muscularity. [Obs.]
MUSCULOSPIRAL
Mus`cu*lo*spi"ral, a. Etym: [L. musculus muscle + E. spiral.] (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the muscles, and taking a spiral course; — applied esp. to a large nerve of the arm.
MUSCULOUS
Mus"cu*lous, a. Etym: [L. musculosus: cf. F. musculeux.]
Defn: Muscular. [Obs.] Jonhson.
MUSE
Muse, n. Etym: [From F. musse. See Muset.]
Defn: A gap or hole in a hedge, hence, wall, or the like, through which a wild animal is accustomed to pass; a muset. Find a hare without a muse. Old Prov.
MUSE
Muse, n. Etym: [F. Muse, L. Musa, Gr. Mosaic, n., Music.]
1. (Class. Myth.)
Defn: One of the nine goddesses who presided over song and the different kinds of poetry, and also the arts and sciences; — often used in the plural. Granville commands; your aid, O Muses, bring: What Muse for Granville can refuse to sing Pope.
Note: The names of the Muses were Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe,
Melpomene, Polymnia or Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania.
2. A particular power and practice of poetry. Shak.
3. A poet; a bard. [R.] Milton.
MUSE Muse, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mused; p. pr. & vb. n. Musing.] Etym: [F. muser to loiter or trifle, orig., to stand with open mouth, fr. LL. musus, morsus, muzzle, snout, fr. L. morsus a biting, bite, fr. mordere to bite. See Morsel, and cf. Amuse, Muzzle, n.]
1. To think closely; to study in silence; to meditate. "Thereon mused he." Chaucer. He mused upon some dangerous plot. Sir P. Sidney.
2. To be absent in mind; to be so occupied in study or contemplation as not to observe passing scenes or things present; to be in a brown study. Daniel.
3. To wonder. [Obs.] Spenser. B. Jonson.
Syn.
— To consider; meditate; ruminate. See Ponder.
MUSE
Muse, v. t.
1. To think on; to meditate on. Come, then, expressive Silence, muse his praise. Thomson.
2. To wonder at. [Obs.] Shak.
MUSE
Muse, n.
1. Contemplation which abstracts the mind from passing scenes; absorbing thought; hence, absence of mind; a brown study. Milton.
2. Wonder, or admiration. [Obs.] Spenser.
MUSEFUL
Muse"ful, a.
Defn: Meditative; thoughtfully silent. "Museful mopings." Dryden.
— Muse"ful*ly, adv.
MUSELESS
Muse"less, a.
Defn: Unregardful of the Muses; disregarding the power of poetry; unpoetical. Milton.
MUSER
Mus"er, n.
Defn: One who muses.
MUSET Mu"set, n. Etym: [OF. mussette, dim. of musse, muce, a hiding place, fr. F. musser, OF. mucier, muchier, to conceal, hide. Cf. Micher.]
Defn: A small hole or gap through which a wild animal passes; a muse.
Shak.
MUSETTE
Mu*sette", n. Etym: [F., dim. of OF. muse.]
1. A small bagpipe formerly in use, having a soft and sweet tone.
2. An air adapted to this instrument; also, a kind of rustic dance.
MUSEUM Mu*se"um, n. Etym: [L., a temple of the Muses, hence, a place of study, fr. Gr.
Defn: A repository or a collection of natural, scientific, or literary curiosities, or of works of art. Museum beetle, Museum pest. (Zoöl.) See Anthrenus.
MUSH Mush, n. Etym: [Cf. Gael. mus, muss, pap, porridge, any thick preparation of fruit, OHG. muos; akin to AS. & OS. mos food, and prob, to E. meat. See Meat.]
Defn: Meal (esp. Indian meal) boiled in water; hasty pudding; supawn.
[U.S.]
MUSH
Mush, v. t. Etym: [Cf. F. moucheter to cut with small cuts.]
Defn: To notch, cut, or indent, as cloth, with a stamp.
MUSHROOM Mush"room, n. Etym: [OE. muscheron, OF. mouscheron, F. mousseron; perhaps fr. mousse moss, of German origin. See Moss.]
1. (Bot.) (a) An edible fungus (Agaricus campestris), having a white stalk which bears a convex or oven flattish expanded portion called the pileus. This is whitish and silky or somewhat scaly above, and bears on the under side radiating gills which are at first flesh-colored, but gradually become brown. The plant grows in rich pastures and is proverbial for rapidity of growth and shortness of duration. It has a pleasant smell, and is largely used as food. It is also cultivated from spawn. (b) Any large fungus, especially one of the genus Agaricus; a toadstool. Several species are edible; but many are very poisonous.
2. One who rises suddenly from a low condition in life; an upstart. Bacon.
MUSHROOM
Mush"room, a.
1. Of or pertaining to mushrooms; as, mushroom catchup.
2. Resembling mushrooms in rapidity of growth and shortness of duration; short-lived; ephemerial; as, mushroom cities. Mushroom anchor, an anchor shaped like a mushroom, capable of grasping the ground in whatever way it falls. — Mushroom coral (Zoöl.), any coral of the genus Fungia. See Fungia. — Mushroom spawn (Bot.), the mycelium, or primary filamentous growth, of the mushroom; also, cakes of earth and manure containing this growth, which are used for propagation of the mushroom.
MUSHROOM-HEADED
Mush"room-head`ed, a. (Bot.)
Defn: Having a cylindrical body with a convex head of larger diameter; having a head like that of a mushroom.
MUSHY
Mush"y, a.
Defn: Soft like mush; figuratively, good-naturedly weak and effusive;
weakly sentimental.
She 's not mushy, but her heart is tender. G. Eliot.
MUSIC
Mu"sic, n. Etym: [F. musique, fr. L. musica, Gr.
1. The science and the art of tones, or musical sounds, i.e., sounds of higher or lower pitch, begotten of uniform and synchronous vibrations, as of a string at various degrees of tension; the science of harmonical tones which treats of the principles of harmony, or the properties, dependences, and relations of tones to each other; the art of combining tones in a manner to please the ear.
Note: Not all sounds are tones. Sounds may be unmusical and yet please the ear. Music deals with tones, and with no other sounds. See Tone.
2. (a) Melody; a rhythmical and otherwise agreeable succession of tones. (b) Harmony; an accordant combination of simultaneous tones.
3. The written and printed notation of a musical composition; the score.
4. Love of music; capacity of enjoying music. The man that hath ni music in himself Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems, and spoils. Shak.
5. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A more or less musical sound made by many of the lower animals. See Stridulation. Magic music, a game in which a person is guided in finding a hidden article, or in doing a specific art required, by music which is made more loud or rapid as he approaches success, and slower as he recedes. Tennyson. — Music box. See Musical box, under Musical. — Music hall, a place for public musical entertainments. — Music loft, a gallery for musicians, as in a dancing room or a church. — Music of the spheres, the harmony supposed to be produced by the accordant movement of the celestial spheres. — Music paper, paper ruled with the musical staff, for the use of composers and copyists. — Music pen, a pen for ruling at one time the five lines of the musical staff. — Music shell (Zoöl.), a handsomely colored marine gastropod shell (Voluta musica) found in the East Indies; — so called because the color markings often resemble printed music. Sometimes applied to other shells similarly marked. — To face the music, to meet any disagreeable necessity without flinching. [Colloq. or Slang]
MUSICAL
Mu"sic*al, a. Etym: [Cf. F. musical.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to music; having the qualities of music; or the power of producing music; devoted to music; melodious; harmonious; as, musical proportion; a musical voice; musical instruments; a musical sentence; musical persons. Musical, or Music, box, a box or case containing apparatus moved by clockwork so as to play certain tunes automatically. — Musical fish (Zoöl.), any fish which utters sounds under water, as the drumfish, grunt, gizzard shad, etc. — Musical glasses, glass goblets or bowls so tuned and arranged that when struck, or rubbed, they produce musical notes. CF. Harmonica, 1.
MUSICAL
Mu"sic*al, n.
1. Music. [Obs.] To fetch home May with their musical. Spenser.
2. A social entertainment of which music is the leading feature; a musical party. [Colloq.]
MUSICALE
Mu`si`cale", n. Etym: [F. Cf. Soirée musicale.]
Defn: A social musical party. [Colloq.]
MUSICALLY
Mu"sic*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a musical manner.
MUSICALNESS
Mu"sic*al*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being musical.
MUSIC DRAMA
Mu"sic dra`ma.
Defn: An opera in which the text and action are not interrupted by set arias, duets, etc., the music being determined throughout by dramatic appropriateness; musical drama of this character, in general. It involves the use of a kind of melodious declamation, the development of leitmotif, great orchestral elaboration, and a fusion of poetry, music, action, and scene into an organic whole. The term is applied esp. to the later works of Wagner: "Tristan und Isolde," "Die Meistersinger," "Rheingold," "Walküre," "Siegfried," "Götterdämmerung," and "Parsifal."
MUSIC HALL
Music hall.
Defn: A place for public musical entertainments; specif. (Eng.), esp. a public hall for vaudeville performances, in which smoking and drinking are usually allowed in the auditorium.
MUSICIAN
Mu*si"cian, n. Etym: [F. musicien.]
Defn: One skilled in the art or science of music; esp., a skilled singer, or performer on a musical instrument.
MUSICOMANIA
Mu`si*co*ma"ni*a, n. Etym: [Music + mania: cf. F. musicomanie.]
(Med.)
Defn: A kind of monomania in which the passion for music becomes so strong as to derange the intellectual faculties. Dunglison.
MUSIMON
Mus"i*mon, n. Etym: [See Musmon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUSINGLY
Mus"ing*ly, adv.
Defn: In a musing manner.
MUSIT
Mu"sit, n.
Defn: See Muset.
MUSK
Musk, n. Etym: [F. musc, L. muscus, Per. musk, fr. Skr. mushka
testicle, orig., a little mouse. See Mouse, and cd. Abelmosk,
Muscadel, Muscovy duck, Nutmeg.]
1. A substance of a reddish brown color, and when fresh of the consistence of honey, obtained from a bag being behind the navel of the male musk deer. It has a slightly bitter taste, but is specially remarkable for its powerful and enduring odor. It is used in medicine as a stimulant antispasmodic. The term is also applied to secretions of various other animals, having a similar odor.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The musk deer. See Musk deer (below).
3. The perfume emitted by musk, or any perfume somewhat similar.
4. (Bot.) (a) The musk plant (Mimulus moschatus). (b) A plant of the genus Erodium (E. moschatum); — called also musky heron's-bill. (c) A plant of the genus Muscari; grape hyacinth. Musk beaver (Zoöl.), muskrat (1). — Musk beetle (Zoöl.), a European longicorn beetle (Aromia moschata), having an agreeable odor resembling that of attar of roses. — Musk cat. See Bondar. — Musk cattle (Zoöl.), musk oxen. See Musk ox (below). — Musk deer (Zoöl.), a small hornless deer (Moschus moschiferus), which inhabits the elevated parts of Central Asia. The upper canine teeth of the male are developed into sharp tusks, curved downward. The male has scent bags on the belly, from which the musk of commerce is derived. The deer is yellow or red-brown above, whitish below. The pygmy musk deer are chevrotains, as the kanchil and napu. — Musk duck. (Zoöl.) (a) The Muscovy duck. (b) An Australian duck (Biziura lobata). — Musk lorikeet (Zoöl.), the Pacific lorikeet (Glossopsitta australis) of Australia. — Musk mallow (Bot.), a name of two malvaceous plants: (a) A species of mallow (Malva moschata), the foliage of which has a faint musky smell. (b) An Asiatic shrub. See Abelmosk. — Musk orchis (Bot.), a European plant of the Orchis family (Herminium Minorchis); — so called from its peculiar scent. — Musk ox (Zoöl.), an Arctic hollow-horned ruminant (Ovibos moschatus), now existing only in America, but found fossil in Europe and Asia. It is covered with a thick coat of fine yellowish wool, and with long dark hair, which is abundant and shaggy on the neck and shoulders. The full-grown male weighs over four hundred pounds. — Musk parakeet. (Zoöl.) Same as Musk lorikeet (above). — Musk pear (Bot.), a fragrant kind of pear much resembling the Seckel pear. — Musk plant (Bot.), the Mimulus moschatus, a plant found in Western North America, often cultivated, and having a strong musky odor. — Musk root (Bot.), the name of several roots with a strong odor, as that of the nard (Nardostachys Jatamansi) and of a species of Angelica. — Musk rose (Bot.), a species of rose (Rosa moschata), having peculiarly fragrant white blossoms. — Musk seed (Bot.), the seed of a plant of the Mallow family (Hibiscus moschatus), used in perfumery and in flavoring. See Abelmosk. — Musk sheep (Zoöl.), the musk ox. — Musk shrew (Zoöl.), a shrew (Sorex murinus), found in India. It has a powerful odor of musk. Called also sondeli, and mondjourou. — Musk thistle (Bot.), a species of thistle (Carduus nutans), having fine large flowers, and leaves smelling strongly of musk. — Musk tortoise, Musk turtle (Zoöl.), a small American fresh-water tortoise (Armochelys, or Ozotheca, odorata), which has a distinct odor of musk; — called also stinkpot.
MUSK
Musk, v. t.
Defn: To perfume with musk.
MUSKADEL
Mus"ka*del`, n.
Defn: See Muscadel.
MUSKAT
Mus"kat, n.
Defn: See Muscat.
MUSKELLUNGE
Mus"kel*lunge, n. Etym: [From the Amer. Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A large American pike (Esox nobilitor) found in the Great Lakes, and other Northern lakes, and in the St. Lawrence River. It is valued as a food fish. [Written also maskallonge, maskinonge, muskallonge, muskellonge, and muskelunjeh.]
MUSKET Mus"ket, n. Etym: [F. mousquet, It. moschetto, formerly, a kind of hawk; cf. OF. mousket, moschet, a kind of hawk falcon, F. mouchet, prop., a little fly (the hawk prob. being named from its size), fr. L. musca a fly. Cf. Mosquito.] [Sometimes written also musquet.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The male of the sparrow hawk.
2. A species of firearm formerly carried by the infantry of an army. It was originally fired by means of a match, or matchlock, for which several mechanical appliances (including the flintlock, and finally the percussion lock) were successively substituted. This arm has been generally superseded by the rifle.
MUSKETEER
Mus`ket*eer", n. Etym: [F. mousquetaire; cf. It. moschettiere.]
Defn: A soldier armed with a musket.
MUSKETO
Mus*ke"to, n.
Defn: See Mosquito.
MUSKETOON
Mus`ket*oon", n. Etym: [F. mousqueton; cf. It. moschettone.]
1. A short musket.
2. One who is armed with such a musket.
MUSKETRY
Mus"ket*ry, n. Etym: [F. mousqueterie; cf. It. moschetteria.]
1. Muskets, collectively.
2. The fire of muskets. Motley.
MUSKINESS
Musk"i*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musky; the scent of musk.
MUSKMELON
Musk"mel`on, n. Etym: [Musk + melon.] (Bot.)
Defn: The fruit of a cucubritaceous plant (Cicumis Melo), having a peculiar aromatic flavor, and cultivated in many varieties, the principal sorts being the cantaloupe, of oval form and yellowish flesh, and the smaller nutmeg melon with greenish flesh. See Illust. of Melon.
MUSKOGEES
Mus*ko"gees, n. pl.; sing. Muskogee (. (Ethnol.)
Defn: A powerful tribe of North American Indians that formerly occupied the region of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama. They constituted a large part of the Creek confederacy. [Written also Muscogees.]
MUSKRAT
Musk"rat`, n.
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A North American aquatic fur-bearing rodent (Fiber zibethicus). It resembles a rat in color and having a long scaly tail, but the tail is compressed, the bind feet are webbed, and the ears are concealed in the fur. It has scent glands which secrete a substance having a strong odor of musk. Called also musquash, musk beaver, and ondatra.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The musk shrew.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The desman.
MUSKWOOD Musk"wood`, n. Etym: [So called from its fragrance.] (Bot.) (a) The wood of a West Indian tree of the Mahogany family (Moschoxylum Swartzii). (b) The wood of an Australian tree (Eurybia argophylla).
MUSKY
Musk"y, a.
Defn: Having an odor of musk, or somewhat the like. Milton.
MUSLIM
Mus"lim, n.
Defn: See Moslem.
MUSLIN Mus"lin, n. Etym: [F. mousseline; cf. It. mussolino, mussolo, Sp. muselina; all from Mussoul a city of Mesopotamia, Ar. Mausil, Syr. Mauzol, Muzol, Mosul, where it was first manufactured. Cf. Mull a kind of cloth.]
Defn: A thin cotton, white, dyed, or printed. The name is also applied to coarser and heavier cotton goods; as, shirting and sheeting muslins. Muslin cambric. See Cambric. — Muslin delaine, a light woolen fabric for women's dresses. See Delaine. [Written also mousseline de laine.]
MUSLINET
Mus`lin*et", n. Etym: [F. mousselinette.]
Defn: A sort of coarse or light cotton cloth.
MUSMON
Mus"mon, n. Etym: [L. musmo, musimo, a Sardinian animal; cf. Gr.
(Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mouflon.
MUSOMANIA
Mu`so*ma"ni*a, n.
Defn: See Musicomania.
MUSQUASH
Mus"quash, n. Etym: [American Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Muskrat. Musquash root (Bot.), an umbelliferous plant
(Cicuta maculata), having a poisonous root. See Water hemlock.
MUSQUAW
Mus"quaw, n. Etym: [American Indian name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The American black bear. See Bear.
MUSQUET
Mus"quet, n.
Defn: See Musket.
MUSQUITO
Mus*qui"to, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: See Mosquito.
MUSROLE; MUSROL Mus"role, Mus"rol, n. Etym: [F. muserolle, fr. muserau a muzzle, OF. musel. See Muzzle.]
Defn: The nose band of a horse's bridle.
MUSS Muss, n. Etym: [Cf. OF. mousche a fly, also, the play called muss, fr. L. musca a fly.]
Defn: A scramble, as when small objects are thrown down, to be taken by those who can seize them; a confused struggle. Shak.
MUSS
Muss, n.
Defn: A state of confusion or disorder; — prob. variant of mess, but influenced by muss, a scramble. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUSS
Muss, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mussed; p. pr. & vb. n. Mussing.]
Defn: To disarrange, as clothing; to rumple. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUSS
Muss, n. Etym: [Cf. OE. mus a mouse. See Mouse.]
Defn: A term of endearment. [Obs.] See Mouse. B. Jonson.
MUSSEL
Mus"sel, n. Etym: [See Muscle, 3.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of many species of marine bivalve shells of the genus
Mytilus, and related genera, of the family Mytidæ. The common mussel
(Mytilus edulis; see Illust. under Byssus), and the larger, or horse,
mussel (Modiola modiolus), inhabiting the shores both of Europe and
America, are edible. The former is extensively used as food in
Europe.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of Unio, and related fresh-water genera; — called also river mussel. See Naiad, and Unio. Mussel digger (Zoöl.), the grayback whale. See Gray whale, under Gray.
MUSSITATION Mus`si*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. mussitatio suppression of the voice, fr. mussitare to be silent, to murmur.]
Defn: A speaking in a low tone; mumbling. [Obs.]
MUSSITE
Mus"site, n. (Min.)
Defn: A variety of pyroxene, from the Mussa Alp in Piedmont; diopside.
MUSSULMAN Mus"sul*man, n.; pl. Mussulmans. Etym: [Ar. muslimin, pl. of muslim: cf. F. & Sp. musulman. See Moslem.]
Defn: A Mohammedan; a Moslem.
MUSSULMANIC
Mus`sul*man"ic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or like, the Mussulmans, or their customs:
Mohammedan.
MUSSULMANISH
Mus"sul*man*ish, a.
Defn: Mohammedan.
MUSSULMANISM
Mus"sul*man*ism, n.
Defn: Mohammedanism.
MUSSULMANLY
Mus"sul*man*ly, adv.
Defn: In the manner of Moslems.
MUSSY
Muss"y, a. Etym: [From 2d Muss.]
Defn: Disarranged; rumpled. [Colloq. U.S.]
MUST Must, v. i. or auxiliary. Etym: [OE. moste, a pret. generally meaning, could, was free to, pres. mot, moot, AS. moste, pret. mot, pres.; akin to D. moetan to be obliged, OS. motan to be free, to be obliged, OHG. muozan, G. müssen to be obliged, Sw. måste must, Goth. gamotan to have place, have room, to able; of unknown origin.]
1. To be obliged; to be necessitated; — expressing either physical or moral necessity; as, a man must eat for nourishment; we must submit to the laws.
2. To be morally required; to be necessary or essential to a certain quality, character, end, or result; as, he must reconsider the matter; he must have been insane. Likewise must the deacons be grave. 1 Tim. iii. 8. Morover, he [a bishop] must have a good report of them which are without. 1 Tim. iii. 7.
Note: The principal verb, if easy supplied by the mind, was formerly often omitted when must was used; as, I must away. "I must to Coventry." Shak.
MUST Must, n. Etym: [AS. must, fr. L. mustum (sc. vinum), from mustus young, new, fresh. Cf. Mustard.]
1. The expressed juice of the grape, or other fruit, before fermentation. "These men ben full of must." Wyclif (Acts ii. 13. ). No fermenting must fills … the deep vats. Longfellow.
2. Etym: [Cf. Musty.]
Defn: Mustiness.
MUST
Must, v. t. & i.
Defn: To make musty; to become musty.
MUSTAC
Mus"tac, n. Etym: [F. moustac.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A small tufted monkey.
MUSTACHE Mus*tache", n.; pl. Mustaches (. [Written also moustache.] Etym: [F. moustache, It. mostaccio visage, mostacchio mustache, fr. Gr. mostacho.]
1. That part of the beard which grows on the upper lip; hair left growing above the mouth.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A West African monkey (Cercopithecus cephus). It has yellow whiskers, and a triangular blue mark on the nose.
3. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any conspicuous stripe of color on the side of the head, beneath the eye of a bird.
MUSTACHO
Mus*ta"cho, n.; pl. Mustachios (.
Defn: A mustache. Longfellow.
MUSTACHOED
Mus*ta"choed, a.
Defn: Having mustachios.
MUSTAHFIZ Mus`tah"fiz`, n. [Turk. & Ar. mustahsfizs who trusts to another's keeping, a soldier of a garrison.]
Defn: See Army organization, above.
MUSTAIBA
Mus`ta*i"ba, n.
Defn: A close-grained, neavy wood of a brownish color, brought from Brazil, and used in turning, for making the handles of tools, and the like. [Written also mostahiba.] MaElrath.
MUSTANG Mus"tang, n. Etym: [Sp. musteño belonging to the graziers, strayed, wild.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: The half-wild horse of the plains in Mexico, California, etc. It is small, hardy, and easily sustained. Mustard grape (Bot.), a species of grape (Vitis candicans), native in Arkansas and Texas. The berries are small, light-colored, with an acid skin and a sweet pulp.
MUSTARD Mus"tard, n. Etym: [OF. moustarde, F. moutarde, fr. L. mustum must, - - mustard was prepared for use by being mixed with must. See Must, n.]
1. (Bot.)
Defn: The name of several cruciferous plants of the genus Brassica (formerly Sinapis), as white mustard (B. alba), black mustard (B. Nigra), wild mustard or charlock (B. Sinapistrum).
Note: There are also many herbs of the same family which are called mustard, and have more or less of the flavor of the true mustard; as, bowyer's mustard (Lepidium ruderale); hedge mustard (Sisymbrium officinale); Mithridate mustard (Thlaspi arvense); tower mustard (Arabis perfoliata); treacle mustard (Erysimum cheiranthoides).
2. A powder or a paste made from the seeds of black or white mustard, used as a condiment and a rubefacient. Taken internally it is stimulant and diuretic, and in large doses is emetic. Mustard oil (Chem.), a substance obtained from mustard, as a transparent, volatile and intensely pungent oil. The name is also extended to a number of analogous compounds produced either naturally or artificially.
MUSTEE
Mus*tee", n.
Defn: See Mestee.
MUSTELINE
Mus"te*line, a. Etym: [L. mustelinus, fr. mustela weasel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like or pertaining to the family Mustelidæ, or the weasels and martens.
MUSTER Mus"ter, n. Etym: [OE. moustre, OF. mostre, moustre, F. montre, LL. monstra. See Muster, v. t.]
1. Something shown for imitation; a pattern. [Obs.]
2. A show; a display. [Obs.] Piers Plowman.
3. An assembling or review of troops, as for parade, verification of numbers, inspection, exercise, or introduction into service. The hurried muster of the soldiers of liberty. Hawthorne. See how in warlike muster they appear, In rhombs, and wedges, and half-moons, and wings. Milton.
4. The sum total of an army when assembled for review and inspection; the whole number of effective men in an army. And the muster was thirty thousands of men. Wyclif. Ye publish the musters of your own bands, and proclaim them to amount of thousands. Hooker.
5. Any assemblage or display; a gathering. Of the temporal grandees of the realm, mentof their wives and daughters, the muster was great and splendid. Macaulay. Muster book, a book in which military forces are registred. — Muster file, a muster roll. — Muster master (Mil.), one who takes an account of troops, and of their equipment; a mustering officer; an inspector. [Eng.] — Muster roll (Mil.), a list or register of all the men in a company, troop, or regiment, present or accounted for on the day of muster. — To pass muster, to pass through a muster or inspection without censure. Such excuses will not pass muster with God. South.
MUSTER
Mus"ter, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mustered; p. pr. & vb. n. Mustering.]
Etym: [OE. mustren, prop., to show, OF. mostrer, mustrer, moustrer,
monstrer, F. montrer, fr. L. monstrare to show. See Monster.]
1. To collect and display; to assemble, as troops for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like. Spenser.
2. Hence: To summon together; to enroll in service; to get together. "Mustering all its force." Cowper. All the gay feathers he could muster. L'Estrange. To muster troops into service (Mil.), to inspect and enter troops on the muster roll of the army. — To muster troops out of service (Mil.), to register them for final payment and discharge. — To muster up, to gather up; to succeed in obtaining; to obtain with some effort or difficulty. One of those who can muster up sufficient sprightliness to engage in a game of forfeits. Hazlitt.
MUSTER
Mus"ter, v. i.
Defn: To be gathered together for parade, inspection, exercise, or the like; to come together as parts of a force or body; as, his supporters mustered in force. "The mustering squadron." Byron.
MUSTILY
Mus"ti*ly, a.
Defn: In a musty state.
MUSTINESS
Mus"ti*ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being musty.
MUSTY Mus"ty, a. [Compar. Mustier; superl. Mustiest.] Etym: [From L. mustum must; or perh. fr. E. moist. Cf. Must, n., Moist.]
1. Having the rank, pungent, offencive odor and taste which substances of organic origin acquire during warm, moist weather; foul or sour and fetid; moldy; as, musty corn; musty books. Harvey.
2. Spoiled by age; rank; stale. The proverb is somewhat musty. Shak.
3. Dull; heavy; spiritless. "That he may not grow musty and unfit for conversation." Addison.
MUTABILITY
Mu`ta*bil"i*ty, n. Etym: [L. mutabilitas: cf. F. mutabilité.]
Defn: The quality of being mutable, or subject to change or alteration, either in form, state, or essential character; susceptibility of change; changeableness; inconstancy; variation. Plato confessed that the heavens and the frame of the world are corporeal, and therefore subject to mutability. Stillingfleet.
MUTABLE
Mu"ta*ble, a. Etym: [L. mutabilis, fr. mutare to change. See Move.]
1. Capable of alteration; subject to change; changeable in form, qualities, or nature. Things of the most accidental and mutable nature. South.
2. Changeable; inconstant; unsettled; unstable; fickle. "Most mutable wishes." Byron.
Syn. — Changeable; alterable; unstable; unsteady; unsettled; wavering; inconstant; variable; fickle.
MUTABLENESS
Mu"ta*ble*ness, n.
Defn: The quality of being mutable.
MUTABLY
Mu"ta*bly, adv.
Defn: Changeably.
MUTACISM
Mu"ta*cism, n.
Defn: See Mytacism.
MUTAGE
Mu"tage, n. Etym: [F.]
Defn: A process for checking the fermentation of the must of grapes.
MUTANDUM
Mu*tan"dum, n.; pl. Mutanda. Etym: [L., fr. mutare to change.]
Defn: A thing which is to be changed; something which must be altered; — used chiefly in the plural.
MUTATION Mu*ta"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutatio, fr. mutare to change: cf. F. mutation. See Mutable.]
Defn: Change; alteration, either in form or qualities. The vicissitude or mutations in the superior globe are no fit matter for this present argument. Bacon.
MUTCH
Mutch, n. Etym: [Cf. D. mutse a cap, G. mütze. Cf. Amice a cape.]
Defn: The close linen or muslin cap of an old woman. [Prov. Eng. &
Scot.]
MUTCHKIN
Mutch"kin, n.
Defn: A liquid measure equal to four gills, or an imperial pint.
[Scot.]
MUTE
Mute, v. t. Etym: [L. mutare to change. See Molt.]
Defn: To cast off; to molt.
Have I muted all my feathers Beau. & Fl.
MUTE Mute, v. t. & i. Etym: [F. mutir, émeutir, OF. esmeltir, fr. OD. smelten, prop., to melt. See Smelt.]
Defn: To eject the contents of the bowels; — said of birds. B.
Jonson.
MUTE
Mute, n.
Defn: The dung of birds. Hudibras.
MUTE
Mute, a. Etym: [L. mutus; cf. Gr. m bound, m dumb: cf. OE. muet, fr.
F. muet, a dim. of OF. mu, L. mutus.]
1. Not speaking; uttering no sound; silent. All the heavenly choir stood mute, And silence was in heaven. Milton.
Note: In law a prisoner is said to stand mute, when, upon being arranged, he makes no answer, or does not plead directly, or will not put himself on trial.
2. Incapable of speaking; dumb. Dryden.
3. Not uttered; unpronounced; silent; also, produced by complete closure of the mouth organs which interrupt the passage of breath; — said of certain letters. See 5th Mute, 2.
4. Not giving a ringing sound when struck; — said of a metal. Mute swan (Zoöl.), a European wild white swan (Cygnus gibbus), which produces no loud notes.
Syn. — Silent; dumb; speechless. — Mute, Silent, Dumb. One is silent who does not speak; one is dumb who can not, for want of the proper organs; as, a dumb beast, etc.; and hence, figuratively, we speak of a person as struck dumb with astonishment, etc. One is mute who is held back from speaking by some special cause; as, he was mute through fear; mute astonishment, etc. Such is the case with most of those who never speak from childhood; they are not ordinarily dumb, but mute because they are deaf, and therefore never learn to talk; and hence their more appropriate name is deaf-mutes. They spake not a word; But, like dumb statues, or breathing stones, Gazed each on other. Shak. All sat mute, Pondering the danger with deep thoughts. Milton.
MUTE
Mute, n.
1. One who does not speak, whether from physical inability, unwillingness, or other cause. Specifically: (a) One who, from deafness, either congenital or from early life, is unable to use articulate language; a deaf-mute. (b) A person employed by undertakers at a funeral. (c) A person whose part in a play does not require him to speak. (d) Among the Turks, an officer or attendant who is selected for his place because he can not speak.
2. (Phon.)
Defn: A letter which represents no sound; a silent letter; also, a close articulation; an element of speech formed by a position of the mouth organs which stops the passage of the breath; as, p, b, d, k, t.
3. (Mus.)
Defn: A little utensil made of brass, ivory, or other material, so formed that it can be fixed in an erect position on the bridge of a violin, or similar instrument, in order to deaden or soften the tone.
MUTE-HILL
Mute"-hill`, n.
Defn: See Moot-hill. [Scot.]
MUTELY
Mute"ly, adv.
Defn: Without uttering words or sounds; in a mute manner; silently.
MUTENESS
Mute"ness, n.
Defn: The quality or state of being mute; speechlessness.
MUTESSARIF Mu*tes`sa*rif", n. [Turk. & Ar. muteçarif freely disposing of anything, master.]
Defn: In Turkey, an administrative authority of any of certain sanjaks. They are appointed directly by the Sultan.
MUTESSARIFAT Mu*tes`sa*ri*fat", n. [Turk. & Ar. muteçarifah office of a mutessarif.]
Defn: In Turkey, a sanjak whose head is a mutessarif.
MUTIC; MUTICOUS
Mu"tic, Mu"ti*cous, a. Etym: [L. muticus, for mutilus. See Mutilate.]
(Bot. & Zoöl.)
Defn: Without a point or pointed process; blunt.
MUTILATE Mu"ti*late, a. Etym: [L. mutilatus, p.p. of mutilare to mutilate, fr. mutilus maimed; cf. Gr. Mutton.]
1. Deprived of, or having lost, an important part; mutilated. Sir T. Browne.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having finlike appendages or flukes instead of legs, as a cetacean.
MUTILATE
Mu"ti*late, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A cetacean, or a sirenian.
MUTILATE
Mu"ti*late, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mutilated; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mutilating.]
1. To cut off or remove a limb or essential part of; to maim; to cripple; to hack; as, to mutilate the body, a statue, etc.
2. To destroy or remove a material part of, so as to render imperfect; as, to mutilate the orations of Cicero. Among the mutilated poets of antiquity, there is none whose fragments are so beautiful as those of Sappho. Addison. Mutilated gear, Mutilated wheel (Mach.), a gear wheel from a portion of whose periphery the cogs are omitted. It is used for giving intermittent movements.
MUTILATION
Mu`ti*la"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutilatio: cf. F. mutilation.]
Defn: The act of mutilating, or the state of being mutilated; deprivation of a limb or of an essential part.
MUTILATOR
Mu"ti*la"tor, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mutilateur.]
Defn: One who mutilates.
MUTILOUS
Mu"ti*lous, a. Etym: [L. mutilus. See Mutilate.]
Defn: Mutilated; defective; imperfect. [Obs.]
MUTINE
Mu"tine, n. Etym: [F. mutin.]
Defn: A mutineer. [Obs.]
MUTINE
Mu"tine, v. i. Etym: [F. mutiner.]
Defn: To mutiny. [Obs.]
MUTINEER
Mu"ti*neer`, n. Etym: [See Mutiny.]
Defn: One guilty of mutiny.
MUTING
Mut"ing, n.
Defn: Dung of birds.
MUTINOUS
Mu"ti*nous, a. Etym: [See Mutiny.]
Defn: Disposed to mutiny; in a state of mutiny; characterized by
mutiny; seditious; insubordinate.
The city was becoming mutinous. Macaulay.
— Mu"ti*nous*ly, adv.
— Mu"ti*nous*ness, n.
MUTINY Mu"ti*ny, n.; pl. Mutinies. Etym: [From mutine to mutiny, fr. F. se mutiner, fr. F. mutin stubborn, mutinous, fr. OF. meute riot, LL. movita, fr. movitus, for L. motus, p.p. of movere to move. See Move.]
1. Insurrection against constituted authority, particularly military or naval authority; concerted revolt against the rules of discipline or the lawful commands of a superior officer; hence, generally, forcible resistance to rightful authority; insubordination. In every mutiny against the discipline of the college, he was the ringleader. Macaulay.
2. Violent commotion; tumult; strife. [Obs.] o raise a mutiny betwixt yourselves. Shak. Mutiny act (Law), an English statute reënacted annually to punish mutiny and desertion. Wharton.
Syn.
— See Insurrection.
MUTINY
Mu"ti*ny, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Mutinied; p. pr. & vb. n. Mutinying.]
1. To rise against, or refuse to obey, lawful authority in military or naval service; to excite, or to be guilty of, mutiny or mutinous conduct; to revolt against one's superior officer, or any rightful authority.
2. To fall into strifle; to quarrel. [Obs.] Shak.
MUTISM
Mut"ism, n.
Defn: The condition, state, or habit of being mute, or without speech. Max Müller.
MUTOSCOPE
Mu"to*scope, n. [L. mutare to change + -scope.]
Defn: A simple form of moving-picture machine in which the series of views, exhibiting the successive phases of a scene, are printed on paper and mounted around the periphery of a wheel. The rotation of the wheel brings them rapidly into sight, one after another, and the blended effect gives a semblance of motion.
MUTTER
Mut"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Muttered; p. pr. & vb. n. Muttering.]
Etym: [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. muttire, mutire.]
1. To utter words indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; esp., to utter indistinct complains or angry expressions; to grumble; to growl. Wizards that peep, and that mutter. Is. viii. 19. Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, And mutter to himself. Dryden.
2. To sound with a low, rumbling noise. Thick lightings flash, the muttering thunder rolls. Pope.
MUTTER
Mut"ter, v. t.
Defn: To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low voice; as, to mutter threats. Shak.
MUTTER
Mut"ter, n.
Defn: Repressing or obscure utterance.
MUTTERER
Mut"ter*er, n.
Defn: One who mutters.
MUTTERINGLY
Mut"ter*ing*ly, adv.
Defn: With a low voice and indistinct articulation; in a muttering manner.
MUTTON
Mut"ton, n. Etym: [OE. motoun, OF. moton, molton, a sheep, wether, F.
mouton, LL. multo, by transposition of l fr. L. mutilus mutilated.
See Mutilate.]
1. A sheep. [Obs.] Chapman. Not so much ground as will feed a mutton. Sir H. Sidney. Muttons, beeves, and porkers are good old words for the living quadrupeds. Hallam.
2. The flesh of a sheep. The fat of roasted mutton or beef. Swift.
3. A loose woman; a prostitute. [Obs.] Mutton bird (Zoöl.), the Australian short-tailed petrel (Nectris brevicaudus). — Mutton chop, a rib of mutton for broiling, with the end of the bone at the smaller part chopped off. — Mutton fish (Zoöl.), the American eelpout. See Eelpout. — Mutton fist, a big brawny fist or hand. [Colloq.] Dryden. — Mutton monger, a pimp [Low & Obs.] Chapman. — To return to one's muttons. Etym: [A translation of a phrase from a farce by De Brueys, revenons à nos moutons let us return to our sheep.] To return to one's topic, subject of discussion, etc. [Humorous] I willingly return to my muttons. H. R. Haweis.
MUTTONY
Mut"ton*y, a.
Defn: Like mutton; having a flavor of mutton.
MUTUAL Mu"tu*al, a. Etym: [F. mutuel, L. mutuus, orig., exchanged, borrowed, lent; akin to mutare to change. See Mutable.]
1. Reciprocally acting or related; reciprocally receiving and giving; reciprocally given and received; reciprocal; interchanged; as, a mutual love, advantage, assistance, aversion, etc. Conspiracy and mutual promise. Sir T. More. Happy in our mutual help, And mutual love. Milton. A certain shyness on such subjects, which was mutual between the sisters. G. Eliot.
2. Possessed, experienced, or done by two or more persons or things at the same time; common; joint; as, mutual happiness; a mutual effort. Burke. A vast accession of misery and woe from the mutual weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth. Bentley.
Note: This use of mutual as synonymous with common is inconsistent with the idea of interchange, or reciprocal relation, which properly belongs to it; but the word has been so used by many writers of high authority. The present tendency is toward a careful discrimination. Mutual, as Johnson will tell us, means something reciprocal, a giving and taking. How could people have mutual ancestors P. Harrison. Mutual insurance, agreement among a number of persons to insure each other against loss, as by fire, death, or accident. — Mutual insurance company, one which does a business of insurance on the mutual principle, the policy holders sharing losses and profits pro rata.
Syn.
— Reciprocal; interchanged; common.
MUTUALISM
Mu"tu*al*ism, n. (Ethics)
Defn: The doctrine of mutual dependence as the condition of individual and social welfare. F. Harrison. H. Spencer. Mallock.
MUTUALITY
Mu`tu*al"i*ty, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mutualité.]
1. The quality of correlation; reciprocation; interchange; interaction; interdependence.
2. (Law)
Defn: Reciprocity of consideration. Wharton.
MUTUALLY
Mu"tu*al*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mutual manner.
MUTUARY
Mu"tu*a*ry, n. Etym: [L. mutuarius mutual.See Mutuation.] (Law)
Defn: One who borrows personal chattels which are to be consumed by him, and which he is to return or repay in kind. Bouvier.
MUTUATION Mu`tu*a"tion, n. Etym: [L. mutuatio, fr. mutuare, mutuari, to borrow, fr. mutuus. See Mutual.]
Defn: The act of borrowing or exchanging. [Obs.] Bp. Hall.
MUTULE
Mu"tule, n. Etym: [F., fr. L. mutulus.] (Arch.)
Defn: A projecting block worked under the corona of the Doric corice, in the same situation as the modillion of the Corinthian and Composite orders. See Illust. of Gutta. Oxf. Gloss.
MUX
Mux, n. Etym: [Cf. Mixen.]
Defn: Dirt; filth; muck. [Prov. Eng.] ose.
MUX
Mux, v. t.
Defn: To mix in an unitidy and offensive way; to make a mess of.
[Prov. Eng.; Colloq. U.S.]
MUXY
Mux"y, a.
Defn: Soft; sticky, and dirty. [Prov. Eng.] See Mucky.
MUZARAB Muz"a*rab, n. Etym: [Sp. mozarabe, fr. Ar. mosta'rib, a name applied to strange tribes living among the Arabs.] (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: One of a denomination of Christians formerly living under the government of the Moors in Spain, and having a liturgy and ritual of their own. [Written also Mozarab, Mostarab.] Brande & C.
MUZARABIC
Muz`a*rab"ic, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to Muzarabs; as, the Muzarabic liturgy.
[Written also Mozarabic.]
MUZZINESS
Muz"zi*ness, n.
Defn: The state or quality of being muzzy.
MUZZLE
Muz"zle, n. Etym: [OE. mosel, OF. musel, F. museau muzzle or snout,
LL. musellus, fr. musus, morsus. See Muse, v. i., and cf. Morsel.]
1. The projecting mouth and nose of a quadruped, as of a horse; a snout.
2. The mouth of a thing; the end for entrance or discharge; as, the muzzle of a gun.
3. A fastening or covering (as a band or cage) for the mouth of an animal, to prevent eating or vicious biting. With golden muzzles all their mouths were bound Dryden. Muzzle sight. (Gun.) See Dispart, n., 2.
MUZZLE
Muz"zle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Muzzled; p. pr. & vb. n. Muzzling.]
Etym: [F. museler.]
1. To bind the mouth of; to fasten the mouth of, so as to prevent biting or eating; hence, figuratively, to bind; to sheathe; to restrain from speech or action. "My dagger muzzled." Shak. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. Deut. xxv. 4.
2. To fondle with the closed mouth. [Obs.] L'Estrange.
MUZZLE
Muz"zle, v. i.
Defn: To bring the mouth or muzzle near.
The bear muzzles and smels to him. L'Estrange.
MUZZLE-LOADER
Muz"zle-load`er, n.
Defn: A firearm which receives its charge through the muzzle, as distinguished from one which is loaded at the breech.
MUZZLE-LOADING
Muz"zle-load`ing, a.
Defn: Receiving its charge through the muzzle; as, a muzzle-loading rifle.
MUZZY
Muz"zy, a. Etym: [Cf. F. muse.]
Defn: Absent-minded; dazed; muddled; stupid.
The whole company stared at me with a whimsical, muzzy look, like men
whose senses were a little obfuscated by beer rather then wine. W.
Irving.
MY My, a. & poss. pron. Etym: [OE. mi, fr. min. See Mine, and cf., for loss of n, A, a., An, a.]
Defn: Of or belonging to me; — used always attributively; as, my body; my book; — mine is used in the predicate; as, the book is mine. See Mine.
MYA
My"a, n. Etym: [L. mya a kind of mussel.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of bivalve mollusks, including the common long, or soft-shelled, clam.
MYALGIA
My*al"gi*a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Pain in the muscles; muscular rheumatism or neuralgia.
MYALL WOOD
My*all" wood`. (Bot.)
Defn: A durable, fragrant, and dark-colored Australian wood, used by the natives for spears. It is obtained from the small tree Acacia homolophylla.
MYARIA
My*a"ri*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of bivalve mollusks of which the common clam (Mya) is the type.
MYCELIUM
My*ce"li*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. my`khs a mushroom.] (Bot.)
Defn: The white threads or filamentous growth from which a mushroom or fungus is developed; the so-called mushroom spawn. — My*ce"li*al, a.
MYCELOID
Myc"e*loid, a. Etym: [Mycelium + -oid.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling mycelium.
MYCETES My*ce"tes, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. mykhth`s a bellower, fr. myka^sqai to bellow.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of South American monkeys, including the howlers. See
Howler, 2, and Illust.
MYCETOID
Myc"e*toid, Etym: [Gr. my`khs, -htos, a fungus + -oid.] (Bot.)
Defn: Resembling a fungus.
MYCETOZOA
My*ce`to*zo"a, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. , , fungus + pl. of an animal.]
(Zoöl.)
Defn: The Myxomycetes; — so called by those who regard them as a class of animals. — My*ce`to*zo"an (#), a.
MYCODERMA
My`co*der"ma, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. my`khs a fungus + de`rma skin.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: One of the forms in which bacteria group themselves; a more or less thick layer of motionless but living bacteria, formed by the bacteria uniting on the surface of the fluid in which they are developed. This production differs from the zoöloea stage of bacteria by not having the intermediary mucous substance.
2. A genus of microörganisms of which the acetic ferment (Mycoderma aceti), which converts alcoholic fluids into vinegar, is a representative. Cf. Mother.
MYCOLOGIC; MYCOLOGICAL
My`co*log"ic, My`co*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or relating to mycology, or the fungi.
MYCOLOGIST
My*col"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who is versed in, or who studies, mycology.
MYCOLOGY
My*col"o*gy, n. Etym: [Gr. my`khs fungus + -logy.]
Defn: That branch of botanical science which relates to the musgrooms and other fungi.
MYCOMELIC
My`co*mel"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or designating, a complex nitrogenous acid of the alloxan group, obtained as a honey-yellow powder. Its solutions have a gelatinous consistency.
MYCOPROTEIN
My`co*pro"te*in, n. Etym: [Gr. (spirious) mucus) + E. protein.]
(Biol.)
Defn: The protoplasmic matter of which bacteria are composed.
MYCOSE
My"cose, n. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: A variety of sugar, isomeric with sucrose and obtained from certain lichens and fungi. Called also trehalose. [Written also mykose.]
MYCOTHRIX
Myc"o*thrix, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (spurious) mucus) + (Biol.)
Defn: The chain of micrococci formed by the division of the micrococci in multiplication.
MYDALEINE
My*da"le*ine, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A toxic alkaloid (ptomaine) obtained from putrid flesh and from herring brines. As a poison it is said to execute profuse diarrhoea, vomiting, and intestinal inflammation. Brieger.
MYDATOXIN
Myd`a*tox"in, n. Etym: [Gr. toxic + in.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous amido acid, C6H13NO2, separated by Brieger from decaying horseflesh. In physiological action, it is similar to curare.
MYDAUS
Myd"a*us, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The teledu.
MYDRIASIS
My*dri"a*sis, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Physiol. & Med.)
Defn: A long-continued or excessive dilatation of the pupil of the eye.
MYDRIATIC
Myd`ri*at"ic, a.
Defn: Causing dilatation of the pupil.
— n.
Defn: A mydriatic medicine or agent, as belladonna.
MYELENCEPHALA
My`e*len*ceph"a*la, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Myelencephalon.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Same as Vertebrata.
MYELENCEPHALIC
My`e*len`ce*phal"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the myelencephalon; cerebro-spinal.
MYELENCEPHALON My`e*len*ceph"a*lon, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. encephalon.] (Anat.) (a) The brain and spinal cord; the cerebro-spinal axis; the neuron. Sometimes abbreviated to myelencephal. (b) The metencephalon. Huxley.
MYELENCEPHALOUS
My`e*len*ceph"a*lous, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the Myelencephala.
MYELIN My"e*lin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.) (a) A soft white substance constituting the medullary sheats of nerve fibers, and composed mainly of cholesterin, lecithin, cerebrin, albumin, and some fat. (b) One of a group of phosphorized principles occurring in nerve tissue, both in the brain and nerve fibers.
MYELITIS
My`e*li"tis, n. Etym: [NL., from Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the spinal marrow or its membranes.
MYELOCOELE
My"e*lo*coele`, n. Etym: [Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The central canal of the spinal cord.
MYELOGENIC
My`e*lo*gen"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: Derived from, or pertaining to, the bone marrow.
MYELOID
My"e*loid, a. Etym: [Gr. -oid.]
Defn: Resembling marrow in appearance or consistency; as, a myeloid tumor.
MYELOIDIN
My`e*loid"in, n. Etym: [Myelin + -oid + -in.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A substance, present in the protoplasm of the retinal epithelium cells, and resembling, if not identical with, the substance (myelin) forming the medullary sheaths of nerve fibers.
MYELON
My"e*lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The spinal cord. (Sometimes abbrev. to myel.)
MYELONAL
My"e*lo`nal, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the myelon; as, the myelonal, or spinal, nerves.
MYELONEURA
My`e*lo*neu"ra, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Vertebrata.
MYELOPLAX
My*el"o*plax, n.; pl. E. Myeloplaxes, L. Myeloplaces. Etym: [NL., fr.
Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: One of the huge multinucleated cells found in the marrow of bone and occasionally in other parts; a giant cell. See Osteoclast.
MYGALE
Myg"a*le, n. Etym: [L., a field mouse, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of very large hairy spiders having four lungs and only four spinnerets. They do not spin webs, but usually construct tubes in the earth, which are often furnished with a trapdoor. The South American bird spider (Mygale avicularia), and the crab spider, or matoutou (M. cancerides) are among the largest species. Some of the species are erroneously called tarantulas, as the Texas tarantula (M. Hentzii).
MYKISS
My"kiss, n. [Russ. muikize, prob. fr. a native name.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A salmon (Salmo mykiss, syn. S. purpuratus) marked with black spots and a red throat, found in most of the rivers from Alaska to the Colorado River, and in Siberia; — called also black-spotted trout, cutthroat trout, and redthroat trout.
MYLODON
Myl"o*don, n. Etym: [Gr. (Paleon.)
Defn: An extinct genus of large slothlike American edentates, allied to Megatherium.
MYLOHYOID
My`lo*hy"oid, a. Etym: [Gr. hyoid.] (Anat.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or in the region of, the lower jaw and the hyoid apparatus; as, the mylohyoid nerve.
MYNA
My"na, n. Etym: [See Mino bird.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any one of numerous species of Asiatic starlings of the genera Acridotheres, Sturnopastor, Sturnia, Gracula, and allied genera. In habits they resemble the European starlings, and like them are often caged and taught to talk. See Hill myna, under Hill, and Mino bird. [Spelt also mynah.]
MYNCHEN
Myn"chen, n. Etym: [AS. mynecen, fr. munec monk. See Monk.]
Defn: A nun. [Obs.]
MYNCHERY
Myn"cher*y, n.
Defn: A nunnery; — a term still applied to the ruins of certain nunneries in England.
MYNHEER
Myn*heer", n. Etym: [D. mijnheer.]
Defn: The Dutch equivalent of Mr. or Sir; hence, a Dutchman.
MYO-
My"o-.
Defn: A combining form of Gr. muscle; as, myograph, myochrome.
MYOCARDITIS
My`o*car*di"tis, n. Etym: [NL. see Myocardium.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the myocardium.
MYOCARDIUM
My`o*car"di*um, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: The main substance of the muscular wall of the heart inclosed between the epicardium and endocardium.
MYOCHROME
My"o*chrome, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: A colored albuminous substance in the serum from red-colored muscles. It is identical with hemoglobin.
MYOCOMMA My`o*com"ma, n.; pl. L. Myocommata, E. Myocommas. Etym: [NL. See Myo- , and Comma.] (Anat.)
Defn: A myotome.
MYODYNAMICS
My`o*dy*nam"ics, n. Etym: [Myo- + dynamics.] (Physiol.)
Defn: The department of physiology which deals with the principles of muscular contraction; the exercise of muscular force or contraction.
MYODYNAMIOMETER
My`o*dy*na`mi*om"e*ter, n.
Defn: A myodynamometer.
MYODYNAMOMETER
My`o*dy`na*mom"e*ter, n. Etym: [Myo- + E. dynamometer.] (Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for measuring the muscular strength of man or of other animals; a dynamometer. Dunglison.
MYOEPITHELIAL
My`o*ep`i*the"li*al, a. Etym: [Myo- + epithelial.]
1. (Biol.)
Defn: Derived from epithelial cells and destined to become a part of the muscular system; — applied to structural elements in certain embryonic forms.
2. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having the characteristics of both muscle and epithelium; as, the myoepithelial cells of the hydra.
MYOGALID
My*og"a*lid, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Myogalodæ, a family of Insectivora, including the desman, and allied species.
MYOGRAM
My"o*gram, n. Etym: [Myo- + -gram.] (Physiol.)
Defn: See Muscle curve, under Muscle.
MYOGRAPH
My"o*graph, n. Etym: [Myo- + -graph.] (Physiol.)
Defn: An instrument for determining and recording the different phases, as the intensity, velocity, etc., of a muscular contraction.
MYOGRAPHIC; MYOGRAPHICAL
My`o*graph"ic, My`o*graph"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to myography.
MYOGRAPHY
My*og"ra*phy, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myographie.]
Defn: The description of muscles, including the study of muscular contraction by the aid of registering apparatus, as by some form of myograph; myology.
MYOHAEMATIN
My`o*hæm"a*tin, n. Etym: [Myo- + hæmatin.] (Physiol.)
Defn: A red-colored respiratory pigment found associated with hemoglobin in the muscle tissue of a large number of animals, both vertebrate and invertebrate.
MYOID
My"oid, a. Etym: [Myo- + -oid.]
Defn: Composed of, or resembling, muscular fiber.
MYOLEMMA
My`o*lem"ma, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Anat.)
Defn: Sarcolemma.
MYOLIN
My"o*lin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol.)
Defn: The essential material of muscle fibers.
MYOLOGIC; MYOLOGICAL
My`o*log"ic, My`o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to myology.
MYOLOGIST
My*ol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One skilled in myology.
MYOLOGY
My*ol"o*gy, n. Etym: [Myo- + -logy: cf. F. myologie.]
Defn: That part of anatomy which treats of muscles.
MYOMA
My*o"ma, n. Etym: [NL. See Myo-, and -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor consisting of muscular tissue.
MYOMANCY
My"o*man`cy, n. Etym: [Gr. -mancy.]
Defn: Divination by the movements of mice.
MYOMORPH
My"o*morph, n.
Defn: One of the Myomorpha.
MYOMORPHA
My`o*mor"pha, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: An extensive group of rodents which includes the rats, mice, jerboas, and many allied forms.
MYOPATHIA
My`o*pa*thi"a, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Any affection of the muscles or muscular system.
MYOPATHIC
My`o*path"ic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to myopathia.
MYOPATHY
My*op"a*thy, n.
Defn: Same as Myopathia.
MYOPE
My"ope, n. Etym: [F., fr. Gr.
Defn: A person having myopy; a myops.
MYOPHAN
My"o*phan, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A contractile striated layer found in the bodies and stems of certain Infusoria.
MYOPIA
My*o"pi*a, n. Etym: [NL. See Myope.] (Med.)
Defn: Nearsightedness; shortsightedness; a condition of the eye in which the rays from distant object are brought to a focus before they reach the retina, and hence form an indistinct image; while the rays from very near objects are normally converged so as to produce a distinct image. It is corrected by the use of a concave lens.
MYOPIC
My*op"ic, a.
Defn: Pertaining to, or affected with, or characterized by, myopia; nearsighted. Myopic astigmatism, a condition in which the eye is affected with myopia in one meridian only.
MYOPS
My"ops, n. Etym: [NL.]
Defn: See Myope.
MYOPSIS
My*op"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: The appearance of muscæ volitantes. See Muscæ volitantes, under
Musca.
MYOPY
My"o*py, n. Etym: [F. myopie.] (Med.)
Defn: Myopia.
MYOSIN
My"o*sin, n. Etym: [Gr. (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: An albuminous body present in dead muscle, being formed in the process of coagulation which takes place in rigor mortis; the clot formed in the coagulation of muscle plasma. See Muscle plasma, under Plasma.
Note: Myosin belongs to the group of globulins. It is insoluble in water, but soluble in dilute solution of salt, and is especially characterized by being completely precipitated by saturation of its solutions with salt.
MYOSIS
My*o"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Med.)
Defn: Long-continued contraction of the pupil of the eye.
MYOSITIC
My`o*sit"ic, a. (Med.)
Defn: Myotic.
MYOSITIS
My`o*si"tis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -itis.] (Med.)
Defn: Inflammation of the muscles.
MYOSOTIS
My`o*so"tis, n. Etym: [NL.; Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of plants. See Mouse-ear.
MYOTIC
My*ot"ic, a. Etym: [See Myosis.] (Med.)
Defn: Producing myosis, or contraction of the pupil of the eye, as opium, calabar bean, etc. — n.
Defn: A myotic agent.
MYOTOME My"o*tome, n. Etym: [See Myotomy.] (Anat.) (a) A muscular segment; one of the zones into which the muscles of the trunk, especially in fishes, are divided; a myocomma. (b) One of the embryonic muscular segments arising from the protovertebræ; also, one of the protovertebræ themselves. (c) The muscular system of one metamere of an articulate.
MYOTOMIC
My`o*tom"ic, a. (Anat.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to a myotome or myotomes.
MYOTOMY
My*ot"o*my, n. Etym: [Myo- + Gr. myotomie.]
Defn: The dissection, or that part of anatomy which treats of the dissection, of muscles.
MYRCIA
Myr"ci*a, n. Etym: [NL.] (Bot.)
Defn: A large genus of tropical American trees and shrubs, nearly related to the true myrtles (Myrtus), from which they differ in having very few seeds in each berry.
MYRIA-
Myr"i*a-. Etym: [Gr. Myriad.]
Defn: A prefix, esp. in the metric system, indicating ten thousand, ten thousand times; as, myriameter.
MYRIACANTHOUS
Myr`i*a*can"thous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Having numerous spines, as certain fishes.
MYRIAD
Myr"i*ad, n. Etym: [Gr. myriade.]
1. The number of ten thousand; ten thousand persons or things.
2. An immense number; a very great many; an indefinitely large number.
MYRIAD
Myr"i*ad, a.
Defn: Consisting of a very great, but indefinite, number; as, myriad stars.
MYRIAGRAM; MYRIAGRAMME Myr"i*a*gram, Myr"i*a*gramme, n. Etym: [F. myriagramme. See Myria-, and 3d Gram.]
Defn: A metric weight, consisting of ten thousand grams or ten kilograms. It is equal to 22.046 lbs. avoirdupois.
MYRIALITER; MYRIALITRE Myr"i*a*li`ter, Myr"i*a*li`tre, n. Etym: [F. myrialitre. See Myria-, and Liter.]
Defn: A metric measure of capacity, containing ten thousand liters.
It is equal to 2641.7 wine gallons.
MYRIAMETER; MYRIAMETRE Myr"i*a*me`ter, Myr"i*a*me`tre, n. Etym: [F. myriamètre. See Myria-, and Meter.]
Defn: A metric measure of length, containing ten thousand meters. It is equal to 6.2137 miles.
MYRIAPOD
Myr"i*a*pod, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myriapode.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: One of the Myriapoda.
MYRIAPODA
Myr`i*ap"o*da, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -poda.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A class, or subclass, of arthropods, related to the hexapod insects, from which they differ in having the body made up of numerous similar segments, nearly all of which bear true jointed legs. They have one pair of antennæ, three pairs of mouth organs, and numerous trachaæ, similar to those of true insects. The larvæ, when first hatched, often have but three pairs of legs. See Centiped, Galleyworm, Milliped.
Note: The existing Myriapoda are divided into three orders: Chilopoda, Chilognatha or Diplopoda, and Pauropoda (see these words in the Vocabulary). Large fossil species (very different from any living forms) are found in the Carboniferous formation.
MYRIARCH
Myr"i*arch, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A captain or commander of ten thousand men.
MYRIARE
Myr"i*are, n. Etym: [F. See Myria-, and 2d Are.]
Defn: A measure of surface in the metric system containing ten thousand ares, or one million square meters. It is equal to about 247.1 acres.
MYRICA
My*ri"ca, n. Etym: [L., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A widely dispersed genus of shrubs and trees, usually with aromatic foliage. It includes the bayberry or wax myrtle, the sweet gale, and the North American sweet fern, so called.
MYRICIN Myr"i*cin, n. Etym: [Cf. F. myricine. Prob. so called from a fancied resemblance to the wax of the bayberry (Myrica).] (Chem.)
Defn: A silky, crystalline, waxy substance, forming the less soluble part of beeswax, and regarded as a palmitate of a higher alcohol of the paraffin series; — called also myricyl alcohol.
MYRICYL
Myr"i*cyl, n. Etym: [Myricin + -yl.] (Chem.)
Defn: A hypothetical radical regarded as the essential residue of myricin; — called also melissyl.
MYRIOLOGICAL
Myr`i*o*log"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or relating to a myriologue.
MYRIOLOGIST
Myr`i*ol"o*gist, n.
Defn: One who composes or sings a myriologue.
MYRIOLOGUE
Myr"i*o*logue, n. Etym: [F. myriologue, myriologie, NGr.
Defn: An extemporaneous funeral song, composed and sung by a woman on the death of a friend. [Modern Greece]
MYRIOPHYLLOUS
Myr`i*oph"yl*lous, a. Etym: [Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: Having an indefinitely great or countless number of leaves.
MYRIOPODA
Myr`i*op"o*da, n. pl.
Defn: See Myriapoda.
MYRIORAMA
Myr`i*o*ra"ma, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A picture made up of several smaller pictures, drawn upon separate pieces in such a manner as to admit of combination in many different ways, thus producing a great variety of scenes or landscapes.
MYRIOSCOPE
Myr"i*o*scope, n. Etym: [Gr. -scope.]
Defn: A form of kaleidoscope.
MYRISTATE
My*ris"tate, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A salt of myristic acid.
MYRISTIC
My*ris"tic, a. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or derived from, the nutmeg (Myristica). Specifically, designating an acid found in nutmeg oil and otoba fat, and extracted as a white crystalline waxy substance.
MYRISTIN
My*ris"tin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: The myristate of glycerin, — found as a vegetable fat in nutmeg butter, etc.
MYRISTONE
My*ris"tone, n. Etym: [Myristc + -one.] (Chem.)
Defn: The ketone of myristic acid, obtained as a white crystalline substance.
MYRMECOPHYTE
Myr"me*co*phyte`, n. [Gr. my`rmhx, my`rmhkos, ant + fyto`n plant.]
(Bot.)
Defn: A plant that affords shelter and food to certain species of ants which live in symbiotic relations with it. Special adaptations for this purpose exist; thus, Acacia spadicigera has large hollows thorns, and species of Cecropia have stem cavities. — Myr`me*co*phyt"ic (#), a.
MYRMICINE
Myr"mi*cine, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to Myrmica, a genus of ants including the small house ant (M. molesta), and many others.
MYRMIDON
Myr"mi*don, n. Etym: [L. Myrmidones, Gr.
1. One of a fierce tribe or troop who accompained Achilles, their king, to the Trojan war.
2. A soldier or a subordinate civil officer who executes cruel orders of a superior without protest or pity; — sometimes applied to bailiffs, constables, etc. Thackeray. With unabated ardor the vindictive man of law and his myrmidons pressed forward. W. H. Ainsworth.
MYRMIDONIAN
Myr`mi*do"ni*an, a.
Defn: Consisting of, or like, myrmidons. Pope.
MYRMOTHERINE
Myr`mo*the"rine, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Feeding upon ants; — said of certain birds.
MYROBALAN; MYROBOLAN My*rob"a*lan, My*rob"o*lan, n. Etym: [L. myrobalanum the fruit of a palm tree from which a balsam was made, Gr. myrobolan.]
Defn: A dried astringent fruit much resembling a prune. It contains tannin, and was formerly used in medicine, but is now chiefly used in tanning and dyeing. Myrobolans are produced by various species of Terminalia of the East Indies, and of Spondias of South America.
MYRONIC
My*ron"ic, a. Etym: [Gr. (Chem.)
Defn: Pertaining to, or obtained from, mustard; — used specifically to designate a glucoside called myronic acid, found in mustard seed.
MYROPOLIST
My*rop"o*list, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: One who sells unguents or perfumery. [Obs.] Jonhson.
MYROSIN
Myr"o*sin, n. (Chem.)
Defn: A ferment, resembling diastase, found in mustard seeds.
MYROXYLON
My*rox"y*lon, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Bot.)
Defn: A genus of leguminous trees of tropical America, the different
species of which yield balsamic products, among which are balsam of
Peru, and balsam of Tolu. The species were formerly referred to
Myrospermum.
MYRRH
Myrrh, n. Etym: [OE. mirre, OF. mirre, F. myrrhe, L. myrrha, murra,
Gr. murr bitter, also myrrh, Heb. mar bitter.]
Defn: A gum resin, usually of a yellowish brown or amber color, of an aromatic odor, and a bitter, slightly pungent taste. It is valued for its odor and for its medicinal properties. It exuds from the bark of a shrub of Abyssinia and Arabia, the Balsamodendron Myrrha. The myrrh of the Bible is supposed to have been partly the gum above named, and partly the exudation of species of Cistus, or rockrose. False myrrh. See the Note under Bdellium.
MYRRHIC
Myr"rhic, a.
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or obtained from, myrrh.
MYRRHINE
Myr"rhine, a.
Defn: Murrhine.
MYRTACEOUS
Myr*ta"ceous, a. Etym: [L. myrtaceus.] (Bot.)
Defn: Of, pertaining to, or resembling, a large and important natural order of trees and shrubs (Myrtaceæ), of which the myrtle is the type. It includes the genera Eucalyptus, Pimenta, Lechythis, and about seventy more.
MYRTIFORM
Myr"ti*form, a. Etym: [L. myrtus myrtle + -form: cf. F. myrtiforme.]
Defn: Resembling myrtle or myrtle berries; having the form of a myrtle leaf.
MYRTLE Myr"tle, n. Etym: [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. m.] (Bot.)
Defn: A species of the genus Myrtus, especially Myrtus communis. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem, eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head, thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the beautifully mottled wood is used in turning.
Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered periwinkle and the yellow- flowered moneywort. In the West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called myrtle. Bog myrtle, the sweet gale. — Crape myrtle. See under Crape. — Myrtle warbler (Zoöl.), a North American wood warbler (Dendroica coronata); — called also myrtle bird, yellow-rumped warbler, and yellow-crowned warbler. — Myrtle wax. (Bot.) See Bayberry tallow, under Bayberry. — Sand myrtle, a low, branching evergreen shrub (Leiophyllum buxifolium), growing in New Jersey and southward. — Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera). See Bayberry.
MYSELF
My*self", pron.; pl. Ourselves (.
Defn: I or me in person; — used for emphasis, my own self or person; as I myself will do it; I have done it myself; — used also instead of me, as the object of the first person of a reflexive verb, without emphasis; as, I will defend myself.
MYSELVEN
My*selv"en, pron.
Defn: Myself. [Obs.]
MYSIS
My"sis, n. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of small schizopod shrimps found both in fresh and salt water; the opossum shrimps. One species inhabits the Great Lakes of North America, and is largely eaten by the whitefish. The marine species form part of the food of right whales.
MYSTACAL
Mys"ta*cal, a. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Of or pertaining to the upper lip, or mustache.
MYSTAGOGIC; MYSTAGOGICAL
Mys`ta*gog"ic, Mys`ta*gog"ic*al, a.
Defn: Of or pertaining to interpretation of mysteries or to mystagogue; of the nature of mystagogy.
MYSTAGOGUE
Mys"ta*gogue, n. Etym: [L. mystagogus, Gr. mystagogue. See 1st
Mystery.]
1. interprets mysteries, especially of a religious kind.
2. One who keeps and shows church relics.
MYSTAGOGY
Mys"ta*go`gy, n.
Defn: The doctrines, principles, or practice of a mystagogue; interpretation of mysteries.
MYSTERIAL
Mys*te"ri*al, a.
Defn: Mysterious. [Obs.]
MYSTERIARCH
Mys*te"ri*arch, n. Etym: [L. mysteriarches, Gr.
Defn: One presiding over mysteries. [Obs.]
MYSTERIOUS
Mys*te"ri*ous, a. Etym: [F. mystèrieux. See 1st Mystery.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mystery; containing a mystery; difficult or impossible to understand; obscure not revealed or explained; enigmatical; incomprehensible. God at last To Satan, first in sin, his doom applied, Thought in mysterious terms. Milton.
Syn. — Obscure; secret; occult; dark; mystic; cabalistic; enigmatical; unintelligible; incomprehensible.
MYSTERIOUSLY
Mys*te"ri*ous*ly, adv.
Defn: In a mysterious manner.
MYSTERIOUSNESS
Mys*te"ri*ous*ness, n.
1. The state or quality of being mysterious.
2. Something mysterious; a mystery. [R.] Jer. Taylor.
MYSTERIZE
Mys"ter*ize, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mysterized; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mysterizing.]
Defn: To make mysterious; to make a mystery of.
MYSTERY
Mys"ter*y, n.; pl. Mysteries. Etym: [L. mysterium, Gr. Mute, a.]
1. A profound secret; something wholly unknown, or something kept cautiously concealed, and therefore exciting curiosity or wonder; something which has not been or can not be explained; hence, specifically, that which is beyond human comprehension. We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery. 1 Cor. ii. 7. If God should please to reveal unto us this great mystery of the Trinity, or some other mysteries in our holy religion, we should not be able to understand them, unless he would bestow on us some new faculties of the mind. Swift.
2. A kind of secret religious celebration, to which none were admitted except those who had been initiated by certain preparatory ceremonies; — usually plural; as, the Eleusinian mysteries.
3. pl.
Defn: The consecrated elements in the eucharist.
4. Anything artfully made difficult; an enigma.
MYSTERY Mys"ter*y, n.; pl. Mysteries. Etym: [OE. mistere, OF. mestier, F. métier, L. ministerium. See Ministry.]
1. A trade; a handicraft; hence, any business with which one is usually occupied. Fie upon him, he will discredit our mystery. Shak. And that which is the noblest mystery Brings to reproach and common infamy. Spenser.
2. A dramatic representation of a Scriptural subject, often some event in the life of Christ; a dramatic composition of this character; as, the Chester Mysteries, consisting of dramas acted by various craft associations in that city in the early part of the 14th century. "Mystery plays," so called because acted by craftsmen. Skeat.
MYSTIC; MYSTICAL
Mys"tic, Mys"tic*al, a. Etym: [L. mysticus, Gr. mystique. See 1st
Mystery, Misty.]
1. Remote from or beyond human comprehension; baffling human understanding; unknowable; obscure; mysterious. Heaven's numerous hierarchy span The mystic gulf from God to man. Emerson. God hath revealed a way mystical and supernatural. Hooker.
2. Importing or implying mysticism; involving some secret meaning; allegorical; emblematical; as, a mystic dance; mystic Babylon. Thus, then, did the spirit of unity and meekness inspire every joint and sinew of the mystical body. Milton. — Mys"tic*al*ly, adv. — Mys"tic*al*ness, n.
MYSTIC
Mys"tic, n.
Defn: One given to mysticism; one who holds mystical views, interpretations, etc.; especially, in ecclesiastical history, one who professed mysticism. See Mysticism.
MYSTICETE
Mys"ti*cete, n. Etym: [Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Any right whale, or whalebone whale. See Cetacea.
MYSTICISM
Mys"ti*cism, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mysticisme.]
1. Obscurity of doctrine.
2. (Eccl. Hist.)
Defn: The doctrine of the Mystics, who professed a pure, sublime, and wholly disinterested devotion, and maintained that they had direct intercourse with the divine Spirit, and aquired a knowledge of God and of spiritual things unattainable by the natural intellect, and such as can not be analyzed or explained.
3. (Philos.)
Defn: The doctrine that the ultimate elements or principles of knowledge or belief are gained by an act or process akin to feeling or faith.
MYSTIFICATION
Mys`ti*fi*ca"tion, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mystification.]
Defn: The act of mystifying, or the state of being mystied; also, something designed to, or that does, mystify. The reply of Pope seems very much as though he had been playing off a mystification on his Grace. De Quincey.
MYSTIFICATOR
Mys"ti*fi*ca`tor, n.
Defn: One who mystifies.
MYSTIFY
Mys"ti*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Mystified; p. pr. & vb. n.
Mystifying.] Etym: [F. mystifier, fr. Gr. -ficare (in comp.) to make.
See 1st Mystery, and -fy.]
1. To involve in mystery; to make obscure or difficult to understand; as, to mystify a passage of Scripture.
2. To perplex the mind of; to puzzle; to impose upon the credulity of ; as, to mystify an opponent. He took undue advantage of his credulity and mystified him exceedingly. Ld. Campbell.
MYTACISM
My"ta*cism, n. Etym: [Gr. Metacism.]
Defn: Too frequent use of the letter m, or of the sound represented by it.
MYTH
Myth, n. [Written also mythe.] Etym: [Gr. mythe.]
1. A story of great but unknown age which originally embodied a belief regarding some fact or phenomenon of experience, and in which often the forces of nature and of the soul are personified; an ancient legend of a god, a hero, the origin of a race, etc.; a wonder story of prehistoric origin; a popular fable which is, or has been, received as historical.
2. A person or thing existing only in imagination, or whose actual existence is not verifiable. As for Mrs. Primmins's bones, they had been myths these twenty years. Ld. Lytton. Myth history, history made of, or mixed with, myths.
MYTHE
Mythe, n.
Defn: See Myth. Grote.
MYTHIC; MYTHICAL
Myth"ic, Myth"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mythicus, Gr. Myth.]
Defn: Of or relating to myths; described in a myth; of the nature of a myth; fabulous; imaginary; fanciful. — Myth"ic*al*ly, adv. The mythic turf where danced the nymphs. Mrs. Browning. Hengist and Horsa, Vortigern and Rowena, Arthur and Mordred, are mythical persons, whose very existence may be questioned. Macaulay.
MYTHOGRAPHER
My*thog"ra*pher, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A composer of fables.
MYTHOLOGER
My*thol"o*ger, n.
Defn: A mythologist.
MYTHOLOGIAN
Myth`o*lo"gi*an, n.
Defn: A mythologist.
MYTHOLOGIC; MYTHOLOGICAL Myth`o*log"ic, Myth`o*log"ic*al, a. Etym: [L. mythologicus: cf. F. mytholigique.]
Defn: Of or pertaining to mythology or to myths; mythical; fabulous.
— Myth`o*log"ic*al*ly, adv.
MYTHOLOGIST
My*thol"o*gist, n. Etym: [Cf. F. mythologiste.]
Defn: One versed in, or who writes on, mythology or myths.
MYTHOLOGIZE
My*thol"o*gize, v. i. Etym: [Cf. F. mythologiser.]
1. To relate, classify, and explain, or attempt to explain, myths; to write upon myths.
2. To construct and propagate myths.
MYTHOLOGIZER
My*thol"o*gi`zer, n.
Defn: One who, or that which, mythologizes. Imagination has always been, and still is, in a narrower sense, the great mythologizer. Lowell.
MYTHOLOGUE
Myth"o*logue, n. Etym: [See Mythology.]
Defn: A fabulous narrative; a myth. [R.] May we not … consider his history of the fall as an excellent mythologue, to account for the origin of human evil Geddes.
MYTHOLOGY My*thol"o*gy, n.; pl. Mythologies. Etym: [F. mythologie, L. mythologia, Gr.
1. The science which treats of myths; a treatise on myths.
2. A body of myths; esp., the collective myths which describe the gods of a heathen people; as, the mythology of the Greeks.
MYTHOPLASM
Myth"o*plasm, n. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: A narration of mere fable.
MYTHOPOEIC
Myth`o*poe"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Making or producing myths; giving rise to mythical narratives.
The mythopoeic fertility of the Greeks. Grote.
MYTHOPOETIC
Myth`o*po*et"ic, a. Etym: [Gr.
Defn: Making or producing myths or mythical tales.
MYTILOID
Myt"i*loid, a. Etym: [Mytilus + -oid.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Mytilus, or family Mytilidæ.
MYTILOTOXINE
Myt`i*lo*tox"ine, n. Etym: [Mytilus + toxic.] (Physiol. Chem.)
Defn: A poisonous base (leucomaine) found in the common mussel. It either causes paralysis of the muscles, or gives rise to convulsions, including death by an accumulation of carbonic acid in the blood.
MYTILUS
Myt"i*lus, n. Etym: [L., a sea mussel, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marine bivalve shells, including the common mussel.
See Illust. under Byssus.
MYXA
Myx"a, n. Etym: [L., a lamp nozzle, Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The distal end of the mandibles of a bird.
MYXINE
Myx"ine, n. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A genus of marsipobranchs, including the hagfish. See Hag, 4.
MYXINOID
Myx"i*noid, a. (Zoöl.)
Defn: Like, or pertaining to, the genus Myxine.
— n.
Defn: A hagfish.
MYXOCYSTODEA
Myx`o*cys*to"de*a, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: A division of Infusoria including the Noctiluca. See Noctiluca.
MYXOEDEMA
Myx`o*de"ma, n. [NL. fr. Gr. mucus + odema.] (Med.)
Defn: A disease producing a peculiar cretinoid appearance of the face, slow speech, and dullness of intellect, and due to failure of the functions of the thyroid gland. — Myx`o*dem"a*tous (#), a., Myx`o*dem"ic (#), a.
MYXOMA
Myx*o"ma, n.; pl. Myxomata. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. -oma.] (Med.)
Defn: A tumor made up of a gelatinous tissue resembling that found in the umbilical cord.
MYXOMYCETES
Myx`o*my*ce"tes, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. mucus, slime + myceles.] (Bot.)
Defn: A class of peculiar organisms, the slime molds, formerly regarded as animals (Mycetozoa), but now generally thought to be plants and often separated as a distinct phylum (Myxophyta). They are found on damp earth and decaying vegetable matter, and consist of naked masses of protoplasm, often of considerable size, which creep very slowly over the surface and ingest solid food. — Myx`o*my*ce"tous (#), a.
MYXOPHYTA
Myx*oph"y*ta, n. pl. [NL.; Gr. mucus, slime + plant.] (Bot.)
Defn: A phylum of the vegetable kingdom consisting of the class
Myxomycetes. By some botanists it is not separated from the
Thallophyta.
MYXOPOD
Myx"o*pod, n. Etym: [Gr. -pod.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: A rhizopod or moneran. Also used adjectively; as, a myxopod state.
MYZONTES
My*zon"tes, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. (Zoöl.)
Defn: The Marsipobranchiata.
MYZOSTOMATA My`zo*stom"a*ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL., fr. Gr. my`zein to suck + sto`ma, -atos, mouth.] (Zoöl.)
Defn: An order of curious parasitic worms found on crinoids. The body is short and disklike, with four pairs of suckers and five pairs of hook-bearing parapodia on the under side.